Home Office

National Crime Agency: Serious Fraud Office

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to integrate the Serious Fraud Office within the National Crime Agency; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of this policy on levels of fraud.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government’s Fraud Strategy, published in May 2023, sets out how government, law enforcement, regulators, industry, and charities will work together to cut fraud. Combatting fraud and delivering the strategy requires close working, coordination, and cooperation with partners across the system, utilising the unique capabilities of every partner, each of whom will play a specific and vital role.This includes the NCA, in its role leading and coordinating law enforcement’s response to serious and organised crime, and the SFO, in its unique role as a specialist investigating and prosecuting authority that tackles the top-level of serious or complex fraud, bribery, and corruption.

Buildings: Fires

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July to Question 191415 on Buildings: Fires, if her Department will record the number of fires potentially caused by disposable vapes.

Chris Philp: The Home Office has just completed a competitive process to award a £2.4m contract to replace the existing Incident Recording System (IRS). We are reviewing the existing system as a part of this replacement programme, and considering what additional categories should be recorded in the future.Adding disposable vapes to the data collection will be considered as part of this workstream as the replacement system to be delivered is seeking to implement a more modern, secure, and flexible system. This programme is expected to conclude in June 2025.

Firearms: Licensing

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many firearms licence certificates have been renewed in the last five years.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for firearms licence certificates have been refused in the last five years; and what the primary reasons for those refusals were.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes annual figures on the number of firearm and shotgun licence certificate renewals and refusals in England and Wales in the ‘Statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates, England and Wales’ National Statistics publication. The latest data cover the year ending 31 March 2023 and are available here: Statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates, England and Wales: April 2022 to March 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Data on the number of applications for the renewal of firearm and shotgun certificates that were granted, and the number of applications refused in the last five years are published in tables 1 and 3 of the accompanying data tables. Reasons for refusing applications for a firearm certificate are not collected centrally. Under the Firearms Act 1968, police forces will refuse such applications where they are not satisfied that the applicant is fit to be entrusted with a firearm, has a good reason to possess a firearm, or that they can be permitted to possess a firearm without danger to the public safety or to the peace.

Firearms: Licensing

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Senior Coroner Ian Arrow’s Prevention of Future Deaths reports following the Plymouth shooting inquests, what steps her Department is taking to (a) develop and (b) implement a national training regime for police firearms licensing staff.

Robert Jenrick: I announced in my statement to the House on 29 June Firearms Licensing - Hansard - UK Parliament that we are providing funding of £500,000 to support the development and roll-out of a new national training package for firearms licensing staff, developed by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council. In due course the training will become mandatory for police firearms licensing teams. The training package will be reinforced and supported by a refresh of the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice, which was the subject of a consultation from January to March this year. The finalised APP will sit alongside the Statutory Guidance to provide support and guidance to police firearms licensing teams.

Asylum: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) local authorities, (b) Health Boards, (c ) the local voluntary sector and (d) the Senedd on accommodating asylum seekers in Wales.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has an established governance process with local authorities in Wales, as it does with other nations and local authorities in England, to drive delivery of our full dispersal plans.The governance process includes a monthly meeting between the Home Office, our accommodation providers, Strategic Migration Partnerships and local authorities in Wales to drive collective delivery against this target. The focus of these discussions is to consider progress against the regional dispersal plan, opportunities and local housing market pressures.The Standard Operating Procedure sets out that when a site is identified for use on the Asylum Support Contracts, the Deputy Director of Asylum Support will initially notify the Chief Executive of the relevant local authority and the Member of Parliament. This will notify the local authority that we have identified the site as a potential contingency site and that we will commence engagement with local authority officials, as well as Police and Health partners. We are committed to work closely with all local authorities and stakeholders through Multi Agency Forum (MAF) meetings to address any concerns of the local community and reduce the impact on local services. Furthermore, we recently met with Welsh counterparts such as Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt MP on 30th March. The latest Home Office figures show that Wales holds 2.6% of supported asylum seekers while Wales makes up 5.2% of the UK’s population. The current number of asylum seekers being accommodated in Wales is lower than it was in June 2020, despite the significant increase in asylum claims.

Safer Streets Fund

Jack Brereton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to open the next round of the Safer Streets Fund to funding bids; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Philp: Round 5 of the Safer Streets Fund was formally announced via a Written Ministerial Statement by the Home Secretary on the 6th July.

Antisocial Behaviour: CCTV

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential benefits of encouraging the use of non-operating CCTV cameras to help tackle anti-social behaviour.

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of using premise closure orders to tackle anti-social behaviour in homes managed by housing associations.

Chris Philp: On 27 March, the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-action-plan) ensuring the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have the tools they need to tackle anti-social behaviour.The powers available under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, including closure orders, are deliberately local in nature as local agencies are best placed to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances. However, we have recently undertaken a consultation on the powers to ensure they can be used as effectively as possible.The plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes up to £60m to fund an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially we will work with 10 police force areas, including Durham, but from 2024 will support a hotspot approach across every police force area in England and Wales.The Safer Streets Fund is supporting local initiatives aimed at increasing the safety of public spaces by tackling neighbourhood crime, anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls. Since the Fund launched in 2020, we have invested £120 million through four rounds supporting 270 projects across England and Wales, with a range of interventions including CCTV cameras. On 6th July we launched a further fifth £60million round.

Firearms and Knives: Death

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deaths have been caused by (a) licenced firearms, (b) unlicensed firearms and (c) bladed weapons in the last five years.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects data on homicides by method of killing in England and Wales. The latest data available, from April 2021 to March 2022, shows that there were 282 homicides involving a sharp instrument.For the same period there were 9 homicides involving a licensed firearm and 19 involving an unlicensed firearm. The published data are available here Appendix tables: homicide in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) at worksheet 8, for data on method of killing including sharp instruments, and table 12 for firearms by licenced / unlicensed.

Firearms: Licensing

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reassure medical practitioners who have conducted a medical check for the grant of a firearms licence certificate that there is no legal liability in the event of future misuse of that firearm.

Chris Philp: The Statutory Guidance to Chief Officers of Police for firearms licensing, which was introduced in November 2021 and refreshed in February 2023, requires applicants to provide relevant medical information from their doctor with their firearms application.This is an important part of the licensing process which ensures that the police can consider the applicant’s medical suitability to be in possession of a firearm, helping to keep the public safe from the misuse of firearms. Doctors are also asked to place a firearms flag on the patient record as part of the continuous assessment by police of certificate holders during the five-year validity of the certificate.The Statutory Guidance makes it clear that the responsibility for assessing whether a person is suitable to be granted a firearm certificate lies with the police, and not with the applicant’s GP or doctor. The Statutory Guidance contains a link to a Memorandum of Understanding agreed in July 2019 between the British Medical Association, the National Police Chiefs Council and the Home Office.The Memorandum of Understanding sets out that the legal responsibility for the assessment of the suitability of a firearms applicant or certificate holder lies with the police and not with the GP. It states that while GPs will endeavour to share relevant medical information with the police, there is no legal liability if they fail to do so.

Motor Vehicles: Theft

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reported vehicle thefts there were in (a) the London Borough of Hounslow and (b) London in the last four years.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of vehicle theft offences reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis. These are available at the Police Force Area and the Community Safety Partnership Area levels, and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesThe Office for National Statistics’ Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and its latest estimates shows that the number of incidences of theft of vehicles has fallen by 23% since the year ending March 2010, to 86,000 incidences. The sample size of the CSEW is not large enough to yield estimates at borough or local authority level.The Government is committed to tackling vehicle crime. We are working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group (NVCWG), chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce theft of and from vehicles. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft. Through the NVCWG a network of vehicle crime specialists has been established, involving every police force in England and Wales, to ensure better sharing of information and intelligence.

Personation: Internet

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the existing legislation to tackle online impersonations for the purpose of coercive control on (a) social media and (b) dating applications.

Chris Philp: We know that perpetrators can use technology to coerce and control victims of domestic abuse. Coercive and Controlling Behaviour legislation may apply if the victim and perpetrator are personally connected and if the behaviour takes place repeatedly or continuously. On 5 April 2023, we extended the offence to remove the co-habitation requirement, so it applies regardless of whether the victim and perpetrator live together.The landmark Online Safety Bill, which is currently undergoing its passage through the House of Lords, will strengthen users’ protection from coercive control online. All companies that host user-generated content or allow users to interact with one another and search services are in scope of the Online Safety Bill, including social media and online dating platforms.To ensure that individuals who are a victim of controlling or coercive behaviour (CCB) perpetrated using technology are adequately protected, we have added CCB to the list of priority offences in the Bill. This highlights this form of abuse as one of the most serious and prevalent types of illegal content and activity online, which companies must take proactive measures to tackle.Finally, through the Online Safety Bill, users will be better able to report abuse, including abuse perpetrated via online impersonations, and they should expect to receive an appropriate response from the platform. This will act against criminals using the internet as a weapon with which to threaten and control individuals online.

Metals: Theft

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of changes in the level of infrastructure-related metal thefts in the last four years, and if she will make a statement.

Chris Philp: The Office for National Statistics publishes annually a time series of data on metal theft offences recorded by the police. The latest available data covering the year to March 2022 can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/focusonpropertycrimeappendixtablesThe Crime Survey for England and Wales for year to December 2022, show that overall thefts is down 47% compared with March 2010.The Home Office provided funding in the financial year 2020-21 to establish the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership. The Partnership ensures the national co-ordination of policing and law enforcement partners to tackle metal theft. Membership of the Partnership includes infrastructure companies such as rail, telecoms and utility companies, who work together to monitor trends in metal theft, share intelligence, target offenders and implement crime prevention measures.

Asylum: Arfon

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide wi-fi for asylum seekers accommodated in Arfon constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The Welsh Government have funded and worked in partnership with accommodation providers to provide Mi-Fi, a Wi-Fi device, across all dispersal accommodation sites in Wales enabling internet coverage for supported asylum seekers. As of March 31st 2023, there are no supported asylum seekers being accommodated in Arfon Wales.

Migrant Workers: Care Workers

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle (a) the charging of illegal fees in the recruitment process and (b) exploitative working conditions for care workers recruited from overseas.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office’s sponsor licence system places clear and binding requirements and obligations on employers looking to recruit and manage overseas employees. Should an employer be found to be in breach of these requirements we will take action and can remove their ability to recruit from overseas. The Department of Health and Social Care has published guidance on applying for jobs from abroad as part of wider efforts to address concerns about exploitative recruitment and employment practices. It aims to help prospective overseas candidates make informed decisions when seeking health or social care jobs in the UK and includes information on how to avoid exploitation and where to report concerns and/or access wider support or help in the UK. The guidance can be found here (www.gov.uk/government/publications/applying-for-health-and-social-care-jobs-in-the-uk-from-abroad/applying-for-health-and-social-care-jobs-in-the-uk-from-abroad The recently updated Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel also sets stronger ethical standards which providers and recruiters should ensure they meet when recruiting internationally. The Code of Practice can be found here (www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel-in-england Providers should only engage with agencies and other recruiting organisations that are on the Code of Practice Ethical Recruiters List organisations on this list have committed to adhering to the Code of Practice. The list can be found here ((www.nhsemployers.org/articles/ethical-recruiters-list)

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her response to the Inspection of the immigration system by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, published in December 2022, if she will publish (a) her proposed review of the Seasonal Worker route and (b) the communications and engagement roadmap for the agricultural sector.

Robert Jenrick: Following the Inspection by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders, the Home Office signalled our intention to complete a review of the seasonal worker route. The Government will publish information pertaining to the operation of the Seasonal Worker route in due course. We have also progressed our commitment to develop a communications and engagement plan. The Seasonal Work Engagement plan forms part of a wider strategy to refresh engagement with all sectors serviced by UK Visas and Immigration.

Department for Transport

Southeastern Trains: Tickets

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department held discussions with Southeastern on ticket office closures before 1 December 2022.

Huw Merriman: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Parking: Schools

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to support (a) Enfield Council and (b) other local authorities with preventing parking outside schools.

Mr Richard Holden: Around 98% of local authorities have the power to undertake civil parking enforcement, including Enfield Council. Local authorities with these powers can use CCTV cameras to enforce parking on a ‘Keep Clear’ zig-zag area outside a school.London councils already have powers to civilly enforce moving traffic contraventions, including school street restrictions, which are signed using 'no motor vehicle' or 'pedestrian and cycle zone' signs. Since 31 May 2022, local authorities outside London have been able to apply to the Department to be granted the same powers, by Designation Order. Twelve authorities received the powers last year, and we have laid a second Order in Parliament which will come into force on 22nd July 2023 giving the powers to a further 40 authorities. The department is currently accepting applications for a third such Order.

Demonstrations: Road Traffic

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of (a) driver hours lost to traffic delays and (b) carbon dioxide emissions caused by Just Stop Oil protests since February 2022.

Mr Richard Holden: National Highways the Government’s Arm’s Length body that manages the Strategic Road Network has estimated the driver’s hours lost due to protestors as 126,894 hours. The data for carbon dioxide emissions is currently not available due to complexity in gathering such data. Illegal protests on our roads put the lives of drivers and road workers at risk, as well as pointlessly interfering with the lives of ordinary people. We will continue to pursue every option available to deter them.

Southeastern Trains: Tickets

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of ticket office closures on job security at Southeastern.

Huw Merriman: The rail industry will work to avoid compulsory redundancies by redeploying existing staff and offering voluntary redundancy for those who do not wish to transition to a multi-skilled role. Exact arrangements will vary by train operator and station and are subject to ongoing discussions with staff and their trades union representatives.

Railways: Tickets

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of rail ticket office closures on the accessibility of railway travel for (a) elderly and (b) disabled people.

Huw Merriman: When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of passengers who are disabled; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. We would also expect operators to consider other equality related needs and make this clear in their consultation. We recognise that many passengers value the services provided by staff at ticket offices and the Department recently hosted roundtable discussions with industry and accessibility and transport groups to discuss this matter. We continue to engage with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future. This will include assisting those who need additional support and cannot or do not want to use digital tickets.

A66

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) Benefit-Cost Ratio and (b) value for money of the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project.

Mr Richard Holden: National Highways is developing the Full Business Case for the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project, which will confirm the Benefit-Cost Ratio and Value for Money assessment. Once complete, this will be assessed, and any decision is contingent on the final planning decision.

Roads: Capital Investment

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which schemes within the third Road Investment Strategy rated as poor value for money according to the Government Benefit-Cost Ratio are still being progressed.

Mr Richard Holden: Decisions on which schemes are to be progressed in the third road investment strategy will be made later in the RIS setting process, once the level of funding for RIS3 is known.

Railways: Tickets

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the c2c contactless ticketing trial on (a) the number and (b) opening hours of ticket offices.

Huw Merriman: When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of all passengers. This includes ensuring that passengers can easily buy the right ticket for the journey they want to make, with consideration of the product range available at the station and what support is available to help with purchase. Contactless payment is an additional way for passengers to pay for their travel. The Government has announced that an additional 53 stations across the south east will have contactless ticketing by the end of the year, including 15 c2c stations.

Department for Work and Pensions

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to reply to the letters of 31 May and 21 June from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on behalf of his constituentHoward Coles.

Mims Davies: A reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member was sent on 7 July 2023 by the Director for Retirement Services.

Finance: Older Workers

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the article by the Minister for Employment entitled, A perfect time to plan for the future with online Midlife MOT, published in the Sunday Express on 2 July 2023, on what evidential basis the Minister stated that hundreds of thousands of people have been helped to think about their next steps since the midlife MOT was launched in 2019; and if he will publish that data.

Guy Opperman: Since the championing of the policy by DWP and the private sector, the Midlife MOT has reached people through multiple channels to help them take stock of their finances, skills and health, and plan for their later life. The DWP's JobHelp website helps people to understand their work options and provides guidance to help them get job ready and find work. It has been visited by more than 3 million users since it was launched in April 2020. Since launch on 1st July 2021 until the end of June 2023, the Money Helper website has had 32 million users/visitors, and nearly 43 million sessions/visits. An enhanced digital Midlife MOT offer went live on 5 July 2023.

Disability: Cost of Living

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the additional costs of living with a disability.

Tom Pursglove: No such estimate has been made. However, the Government understands the pressures that people, including disabled people, are currently facing, and are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the cost of living. In addition, people with a long-term health condition or disability can access the extra costs disability benefits, such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), to provide a contribution towards their extra costs. These benefits are not means-tested, are tax free, are paid in addition to any other benefits or support received and can be worth up to £8,983 a year.

Disability

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his planned timetable is for the publication of a consultation on the National Disability Action Plan.

Tom Pursglove: We are planning to consult on the Disability Action Plan this summer; and to publish the final plan once we have fully considered the consultation responses.The consultation in the summer will be an opportunity for everyone - disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, and other interested parties - to have their say on the Disability Action Plan.

Universal Credit: Deductions

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for the most recent 12-month period for which this information is available, how many claims for Universal Credit were subject to deductions for (a) new claims advances, (b) change of circumstances advances, (c) budgeting advances, (d) tax credit overpayments, (e) Universal Credit overpayments and (f) any combination of the above; and for each type of deduction, what was the average value of the deduction.

Guy Opperman: The requested information is provided in the separate spreadsheet.Attachment (xlsx, 27.9KB)

Social Security Benefits

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to the Pensions Service on classifying Invalidity Allowance as an overlapping benefit.

Tom Pursglove: Our guidance, based on Regulation 6 of the Overlapping Benefit Regulations 1979, provides instruction for Pension Service staff to correctly process claims that meet these circumstances.

Mobile Broadband

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on  benefit help and advice to claimants who are losing access to the internet as a result of switching off 2G and 3G connections.

Guy Opperman: DWP seeks to identify individuals who have complex user needs and/or require additional support to enable them to access our benefits and services, this includes those who do not have internet access.As part of our commitment to make services accessible to all customers, the Department provides computers for customer use in Jobcentres which have assistive technology and provide a range of peripheral items in each Jobcentre such as alternative keyboards. We have improved access to our Wi-Fi services in all Jobcentres, allowing customers to use their own personal devices if they prefer, to access internet services, and Staff will signpost people to other community resources (libraries and Citizens Advice) which can also provide advice and internet access points. If an eligible claimant presents to a Work Coach that connectivity to the internet is causing a barrier to employment then the Work Coach has the discretion to utilise Flexible Support Fund to remove that barrier as they would any other barrier to work. In the case of internet connectivity, they would explore all available options, i.e. social tariffs, dongles, and pre-paid broadband routers and connections available from providers. Whichever is the most suitable then the Work Coach would either sign-post in the case of social tariffs or utilise FSF to pay for other options if appropriate. Our Jobcentres also provide support and advice about entitlement to benefits and will signpost customers to appropriate information to help them. The Department provides telephone service lines that people can call to make their claims to benefit and to operate their claims. In addition, customers can access Help to Claim which provides tailored practical support to anyone who needs it. It enables individuals to make a new claim to Universal Credit and is also available to those moving from legacy benefits because of managed migration, voluntary moves, or a change of circumstances.Help to Claim support is being delivered independently by Citizens Advice, in partnership with Citizens Advice Scotland, with support provided through telephony and digital channels. Those individuals who are unable to access support via these channels can go to their local jobcentre, where staff will identify the right support to meet their needs.

Universal Credit: Armed Forces

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2023 to Question 187857 on Universal Credit: Armed Forces, how many Universal Credit claimants have been identified as (a) serving and (b) having served in the armed forces for the assessment period ending on 1 July 2023.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started collecting data on the Armed Forces status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Great Britain (GB) in April 2021. At first only new claimants were asked about their Armed Forces status. From June 2021 onwards, other UC claimants reporting changes in their work and earnings have also been able to report their status. From July 2021 onwards, UC agents have also been able to record claimants’ Armed Forces status if they are told about this via other means such as journal messages, face-to-face meetings or by telephone. Data coverage continues to improve over time and by May 2023 data was held on the armed forces status of approximately 64% of the GB UC caseload (see table below). It should be noted that Armed forces status is self-reported by claimants and is not verified by the Ministry of Defence or Office for Veterans’ Affairs. A claimant’s status can be recorded as “currently serving”, “served in the past”, “not served” or “prefer not to say”. Data is not collected on the specific branch of the Armed Forces that claimants are serving in or have served in in the past. Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far. The way the data is collected means the claimants for whom an Armed Forces status is recorded are not representative of the UC caseload as a whole. This means it is not yet possible to produce reliable estimates of the overall number or proportion of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past. Increases in the numbers of claimants with a recorded status of “currently serving” or “served in the past” do not necessarily mean the overall numbers of claimants who are currently serving or have served in the past have increased and may reflect increases in the number of claimants for whom data is held as data coverage improves over time. The table below shows how the proportion of the GB UC caseload with a recorded Armed Forces status has changed over time. It also shows how many claimants on the caseload had a recorded status of each type. GB UC caseload by recorded Armed Forces status UC caseload monthProportion of caseload with a recorded statusCurrently servingServed in the pastNot servedPrefer not to sayNo recorded statusJuly 202251%3,00038,6002,804,20021,0002,753,300August 202253%3,20040,1002,912,50021,8002,683,400September 202254%3,20041,4003,002,50022,4002,614,700October 202256%3,30042,8003,131,70023,4002,530,000November 202257%3,30044,0003,218,30024,0002,467,100December 202258%3,40045,1003,299,40024,6002,407,600January 202359%3,50046,2003,375,00025,4002,349,700February 202361%3,50047,6003,462,60026,2002,296,400March 202362%3,60048,3003,530,80026,7002,243,800April 202363%3,70049,5003,626,30027,5002,189,600May 2023 (provisional)64%3,90051,0003,739,10028,6002,154,900 Notes:1. Data is not collected on the Armed Forces status of UC claimants in Northern Ireland. The figures provided only relate to Great Britain.2. Percentages are rounded to the nearest percent and numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.3. Provisional figures to May 2023, in line with published People on UC official statistics, are provided and may be subject to retrospective changes as more up-to-date data becomes available or if methodological improvements are made.4. Due to methodological improvements, these figures are based on the Official Statistics UC caseload definition. Some previous figures have used an alternative caseload definition based on assessment period end dates.5. Further information on the caseload definition used for the UC official statistics can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Department for Education

Schools: Buildings

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding allocated for the (a) maintenance and (b) refurbishment of school buildings in the last three years.

Nick Gibb: It is the responsibility of those who run our schools and who work with their schools day to day to manage maintenance and to alert the Department if there is a serious concern with a building. This includes academy trusts, local authorities, and voluntary aided school bodies. The Department provides additional support on a case by case basis if we are alerted to a serious safety issue by responsible bodies that cannot be managed within local resources.Well-maintained and safe school buildings are a priority for the Department. That is why the Department has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 to keeping schools safe and in good working order. This includes £5.8 billion allocated between the 2021/22 and 2023/24 financial years, which is informed by consistent data on the school estate. Early indications from our latest survey, Condition Data Collection 2, alongside feedback from responsible bodies, show that in almost every case where a Grade D (bad condition) component was identified in Condition Data Collection 1, it has now been addressed.The Department’s School Rebuilding Programme will transform 500 schools over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition or with potential safety issues. 400 schools have been announced to date, including 239 in December 2022.

Schools: Buildings

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide schools with funding to cover the full cost of (a) repairing and (b) replacing autoclave aerated concrete.

Nick Gibb: The safety of pupils and teachers is paramount. The Department has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 for keeping school buildings safe and in good working order, including £1.8 billion committed for 2023/24. In addition, the School Rebuilding Programme will transform buildings at 500 schools, prioritising poor condition and potential safety issues.The Department have asked all responsible bodies, such as Local Authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided school bodies, to inform the Department of the possible presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in their buildings and how they are managing it. The Department continues to urge all responsible bodies to contact us immediately if they have any serious concerns about their school buildings.The Department is commissioning assessments of cases of suspected RAAC to confirm whether it is present and ensure appropriate and rapid action is taken to address any immediate risk, based on the advice of structural engineers. This can include funding support for capital works to remove any immediate risk and, where absolutely necessary, the provision of temporary buildings.Longer term remediation of RAAC is supported by annual capital funding provided to the sector and the Department’s rebuilding programme. The Department provides additional support on a case by case basis where there is a serious safety issue with a school building that cannot be managed independently by Local Authorities, academy trusts, and voluntary aided school bodies.

Schools: Buildings

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department uses to determine whether a school building should immediately close.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school buildings are not in use following an assessment that they pose a posing a risk to life.

Nick Gibb: The safety of pupils and staff is vital. It is the responsibility of those who run schools, including academy trusts, Local Authorities and voluntary aided school bodies, to manage the maintenance of their schools and alert the Department if there is a concern with a building. Local Authorities and academy trusts do not need to report building closures to the Department, but the Department provides support on a case by case basis, working with the sector if it is alerted to a serious safety issue. This includes when schools have closed part or all of the site for a period of time once RAAC is confirmed. In most cases this is for a number of days as opposed to a longer closure. The number of schools this has applied to is changing regularly with ongoing activity to mitigate the impact, including minimising any short term impact on education.Where it is suspected that reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is present in a school, the Department takes swift action based on professional advice. In cases where RAAC is confirmed, the Department provides rapid support to schools on the advice of structural engineers. This could include funding capital works to remove any immediate risk and, where absolutely necessary, the provision of temporary buildings. Longer term remediation of RAAC is supported by capital funding provided to the sector, the Department’s rebuilding programme, and urgent capital support.The Department provides support to schools and responsible bodies and has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 to keep schools safe and operational. This includes £1.8 billion committed this financial year, informed by consistent data on the school estate. In addition, the Department’s School Rebuilding Programme will transform 500 schools over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition.

British Sign Language: Adult Education

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of British Sign Language classes for parents of (a) deaf children and (b) children with hearing loss who are ineligible for grants under the adult education budget; and what alternative steps the Government is taking to help support those parents to learn how to communicate with their children.

Claire Coutinho: The government has not assessed the accessibility of British Sign Language (BSL) classes for those who are ineligible for the adult education budget (AEB). However, the AEB targets a wide range of individuals, including, but not limited to, UK nationals, other non-UK nationals, certain EU nationals and their family members, and individuals with certain types of immigration status (such as refugee status and those with indefinite leave to remain) and some asylum seekers.Funding is available through the AEB for qualifications in or focussing on BSL up to and including level 2. About 60% of the AEB has been devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority, who determine which provision to fund for learners who live in their areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas, which includes St Ives Constituency.ESFA funded AEB qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in BSL which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence in production and reception of BSL. It will depend on an individual’s circumstances as to whether they are entitled to free provision or expected to meet part of the cost, through co-funding. Where community learning providers offer BSL courses, those providers are responsible for determining the course fees, including levels of fee remission.For parents learning BSL on an AEB funded course, there is also additional support available. The AEB provides funding to colleges and providers to help adult learners overcome barriers preventing them from accessing learning. Providers have discretion to help learners meet costs such as transport, accommodation, books, equipment, and childcare. Learning support funding also helps colleges and training providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the costs of reasonable adjustments, as set out in the Equality Act 2010.

Special Educational Needs: Unpaid Work

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) engage with (i) national supermarkets and (ii) other parts of the retail sector to encourage them to offer Supported Internships to adults with learning difficulties and (b) increase the number of employers offering Supported Internships.

Claire Coutinho: Supported internships are personalised study programmes, specifically designed to support young people aged 16-24 with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, to prepare for and transition into sustained, paid employment. A variety of placements exist, including with high profile retailers such as Waitrose.In February 2022, the department announced an investment of up to £18 million over the next three years to build capacity in the Supported Internships programme, aiming to double the number of Supported Internships to give more young people with an EHC plan the skills to secure and sustain paid employment.The Internships Work consortium are the department’s contracted partner and deliver activities to expand and improve Supported Internships provision across the country. As part of this work, DFN Project Search are engaging and supporting a wide range of employers. By March 2025 they will identify and train 800 new employer champions, to strengthen the links between Supported Internships and employers across all sectors. DFN Project Search have provided local authorities with training on how to engage with Employer Champions and how local authorities can develop their local Supported Internship offer.Finally, in the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced up to £3 million to pilot extending Supported Internships to young people without EHC plans. Through this pilot the department will seek to establish whether the Supported Internship model is an effective approach for learners with learning difficulties and disabilities without an EHC plan. We will identify the benefits and challenges of using the Supported Internship model to support this cohort and use learning from the pilot to consider if and how the approach could be rolled out more widely.

Schools: Lead

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential health risks to (a) pupils and (b) staff of the use of lead pipes in schools.

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to remove lead pipes from schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department takes the health and wellbeing of both pupils and staff very seriously. All schools need to be safe, well maintained, and compliant with all relevant regulations. This is the responsibility of those running the schools, which includes Local Authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided school bodies. Where responsible bodies discover lead piping, they must take action, working, as appropriate, with water companies directly.The Department does not collect data on whether schools have lead pipes.All schools must ensure their water supply meets the requirements of either the School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 or the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 for maintained schools and academies respectively.These Regulations set strict requirements that schools must provide 'suitable drinking water facilities' and that they are clearly labelled and readily accessible at all times when schools are in use. The Water Supply Regulations 2016 require water to be wholesome at the point of consumption and the School Premises Regulations reinforces this requirement.

Universities: Admissions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the reasons for the difference in the number of men and women entering university.

Robert Halfon: A person’s access to university should not be determined by their personal characteristics, but by their ambition and ability. We want to provide a ladder of opportunity for everyone to get the education and skills they need for job security and prosperity and to support levelling up across the country, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic background.There are challenges related to gender representation in higher education (HE). Data shows that more than half (50.6%) of female pupils from state-funded schools in England entered HE by age 19 by 2020/21, compared to 38.4% of males. The gap in progression rates between males and females rose from 11.4 to 12.2 percentage points between 2019/20 and 2020/21.We know that prior attainment is a key determinant of successful participation in HE, and that is why we have asked universities to take on a more direct role in driving up the standards in schools.Our access and participation reforms announced in 2021 are playing a pivotal role in ensuring that students are supported to access and succeed on the right course for them. As part of this refresh of the system, the Office for Students (OfS) has asked more institutions to set targets for increasing the proportion of level 4 and 5 qualifications, and higher and degree apprenticeships that they offer, so that more students can access flexible and skills-related courses.In March 2023, the OfS launched its Equality of Opportunity Risk Register (EORR). This will empower HE providers to deliver interventions for groups of students least likely to experience equal opportunity in HE settings by highlighting 12 key sector risks and the groups most likely to experience these, including gender. We welcome the EORR as a key marker for social justice which will help ensure that no student groups are left behind.

Students: Health

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability and (b) quality of student (i) support and (ii) wellbeing services provided by universities.

Robert Halfon: It is a priority for the government that students are provided with the mental health support they need.We are taking an approach based on three pillars:Funding vital services and innovative projects via the Office for Students. £15 million has been allocated this academic year to support students starting university for the first time and enable effective partnerships between higher education (HE) providers and local NHS services. £3.6 million was invested to launch Student Space in 2020. It has since provided nearly 300,000 students with free online mental health resources and confidential support.Spreading and implementing best practice consistently across providers.Clear responsibilities for providers and protection for students, with solutions developed by the Student Support Champion, Professor Edward Peck.The department recently conducted research on the design and delivery of mental health and wellbeing services to meet the needs of their students. This found that 99% of HE institutions provided in-house self-help resources and 97% offered in-house psychological support for those experiencing poor mental health, either face-to-face or virtual contact with a counsellor[1]. It also found a substantial increase in the proportion of higher education institutions that now have a specific mental health and wellbeing strategy in place (two thirds in 2022 compared with just over a half in 2019) A link to the report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-wellbeing-practices-in-higher-education.While good progress has been made by the sector, the department is going further to protect students’ wellbeing. The department wants all universities to be adopting the Mental Health Charter and following the principles it sets out for a whole university approach to mental health. 61 universities are already part of the Charter Programme. The department wants students to have confidence in the support they will receive, whatever university they have chosen to study at. The department has set a target for all remaining universities to sign up to the Mental Health Charter Programme by September 2024.To look at further improvements in student mental health support, the department has asked the Student Support Champion, Professor Edward Peck, to lead the HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. The taskforce will set strong, clear, and measurable targets for the sector. The taskforce will conclude its work with a final report in May 2024, having produced an interim plan by the end of 2023.The department is confident the HE sector will rise to meet the challenge. If the response is not satisfactory, the department will go further, and ask the Office for Students to look carefully at the merits of a new registration condition on mental health. [1] 53% of private providers and 93% of Further Education Colleges provided in house self-help resources and 53% and 85% respectively offered either face to face or virtual contact with a counsellor.

Care Leavers

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to bring forward new policies to support (a) care leavers and (b) care-experienced people.

Claire Coutinho: On 2 February 2023, the government published its response to Josh MacAlister’s independent review of Children’s Social Care. This review can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1147317/Children_s_social_care_stable_homes_consultation_February_2023.pdf. The review sets out ambitious plans to radically reform the children’s social care system and includes five Missions to improve outcomes and experiences of care leavers:Mission 1: By 2027, every care-experienced child and young person will feel they have strong, loving relationships in place: including providing £30 million to extend family-finding, mentoring & befriending services.Mission 2: By 2027, we will strengthen and extend corporate parenting responsibilities towards children in care and care leavers across the public sector: with a view to legislating to extend corporate parenting responsibilities when parliamentary time allows.Mission 3: By 2027, to see an improvement in the education, employment and training outcomes of children in care and care leavers: including through increasing the care leaver apprenticeship bursary from £1,000 to £3,000 from 1 August 2023; increasing funding for the care leaver covenant; providing £24 million to virtual school heads to increase support for care leavers in 16-19 education; and developing an accreditation scheme for universities and further education colleges.Mission 4: By 2027, to see an increase in the number of care leavers in safe, suitable accommodation and a reduction in care leaver homelessness: including providing £52 million to roll-out Staying Close; and uplifting the leaving care allowance from £2,000 to £3,000 from 1 April 2023.Mission 5: Working closely with health partners to reduce the disparities in long-term mental and physical health outcomes and improve wellbeing for care-experienced people: including updating guidance on promoting the health and well-being of looked-after children and extending it to cover care leavers to age 25.The government has no plans to amend legislation to extend support for care leavers to all care-experienced people.

Religion: Education

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2023 to Question 182481 on Secondary Education: Teachers, whether her Department (a) provides and (b) plans to provide support for non-specialist teachers who do not qualify for an eight-week subject knowledge enhancement course and need to increase their subject knowledge for religious education.

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2023 to Question 182481 on Secondary Education: Teachers, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure the quality of continuing professional development provision for non-specialist teachers teaching religious education.

Nick Gibb: The number of teachers remains high, with over 468,000 full time equivalent teachers working in state funded schools across the country, over 27,000 more than there were in 2010.The Department provides funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses for 9 subjects, including religious education, for those who have yet to start an initial teacher training course. Eligibility is subject to an applicant meeting the requirements to train to teach in England and the applicant accepting a conditional offer which specifies the requirement to complete a SKE course. Eligible participants can receive a bursary of £175 per week. Religious education courses last 8 weeks.Once teachers are qualified and working in schools, the responsibility for supporting non specialist teachers rests with head teachers, as they are best placed to assess the needs of their staff and provide appropriate support, such as continuing professional development.Oak National Academy will provide both specialist and non specialist teachers with access to high quality digital curriculum resources. This includes resources for religious education. Oak will work closely with the sector and utilise sector expertise when developing these new curriculum resources.The Department has also transformed the training and support available to teachers of all subjects. An entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers has been created, to bring teaching into line with other prestigious professions such as law, accountancy and medicine. Underpinning this is the new Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework, and together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.Beyond the first few years of teaching, the Department’s priority is to help all teachers and head teachers to continuously develop their expertise throughout their careers so that all pupils get the best start in life.National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available to education professionals at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice, to those leading multiple schools across trusts. The qualifications have been designed with professionals in mind, using the latest and best available evidence, and can be completed flexibly around existing commitments.Four specialist NPQs are available, for those who want to broaden their existing knowledge, expertise, and skills in specialist areas of teaching practice including an NPQ in Leading Teaching where participants will learn how to lead the teaching of a subject, year, group or phase.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish details of spending of early years entitlement funding by each local authority.

Claire Coutinho: Early years entitlement funding is one of the funding blocks of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). The latest information regarding early years funding is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2023-to-2024.As part of the annual Section 251 budget return, local authorities return data on their planned early years spending for the next financial year, which is then published by the department. The latest published planned expenditure data is for the 2022/23 financial year and is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/planned-la-and-school-expenditure.The data collection process for planned expenditure data for the 2023/24 financial year is ongoing and will be published in the autumn of 2023. Local authorities also submit less detailed outturn data regarding spend which is published by the department. The latest available outturn data is for the 2021/22 financial year and can be found in the file named ‘LA expenditure on schools, other education and community’ at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/la-and-school-expenditure/2021-22.

Cabinet Office

Pay Settlements: Public Bodies

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department provides to other Departments on appointing personnel to pay review bodies.

Alex Burghart: The pay review bodies are listed in the Schedule to the Public Appointments Order in Council. Appointments to these bodies are therefore regulated under the Order in Council and should be made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments published by the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office also provides ad-hoc support and advice to departments on a wide range of public appointment processes. This has been the case under successive administrations.

National Security

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions his Department has exercised powers under the Enterprise Act 2002 to intervene in transactions which raised national security concerns in each of the last three years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Between July 2020 and January 2022, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has issued Public Interest Intervention Notices under the Enterprise Act 2002, on national security grounds, in relation to the following acquisitions: the proposed acquisition of Ultra Electronics Holdings plc by Cobham Ultra Acquisitions Limited;the proposed acquisition of The Perpetuus Group by Taurus International Ltd and others; andthe proposed acquisition of Meggitt plc by Parker-Hannifin corporation In addition, the then Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport used the same powers in relation to the proposed acquisition of Arm by NVIDIA in April 2021. Since 4 January 2022, the Government has had powers under the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 to scrutinise and, where necessary, intervene in acquisitions which may raise national security concerns. These powers replaced the national security limb of public interest intervention powers under the Enterprise Act 2002. In February 2023, responsibility for NSI moved from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to the Cabinet Office, under the Deputy Prime Minister.The Government promised to deliver a regime that is as business-friendly as possible while protecting our national security. The National Security & Investment Act Annual Report demonstrates that we are succeeding in that mission.

Sue Gray

James Wild: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any (a) severance and (b) exit payments have been made to the former Second Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, Sue Gray following her resignation.

Jeremy Quin: Sue Gray resigned from the Civil Service with effect from 2 March 2023. She was paid for the salary and untaken annual leave she had accrued up to this date. She did not receive any severance payment.

Covid-19 Inquiry: Judicial Review

Afzal Khan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the cost of the application for judicial review of the UK covid-19 inquiry.

Jeremy Quin: We do not yet have a figure for the costs incurred. We brought this judicial review to seek clarification on a point of law and we are pleased that the Court agreed that there was an important legal question to consider. It acknowledged our concerns over respecting the privacy of individuals and ensuring that completely irrelevant information is returned and not retained.

Blood: Contamination

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to provide an immediate second interim payment to people who received infected blood and blood products in the context of the compensation arrangements relating to the infected blood inquiry.

Jeremy Quin: Work is underway to consider the recommendations in Sir Brian Langstaff's second interim report, including those relating to further interim compensation payments. It is important that we give consideration to the recommendations ahead of making any announcements. I am committed to updating the House on these matters as soon as is appropriate.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Carbon Emissions: Costs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the financial cost of reaching net zero between 2023 and 2050.

Graham Stuart: We estimate that the net cost of the UK’s net zero transition, excluding air quality and emissions savings benefits, will be equivalent to 1-2% of GDP in 2050. However, the costs of global inaction significantly outweigh the costs of action; all countries need to make urgent emissions reductions across their economies if we are to keep 1.5 degrees within reach and the UK will play its part.

Fuels: Prices

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his oral contribution of 3 July 2023 on Road Fuel Prices, Official Report, col 559, what steps the Government plans to take to (a) monitor and (b) assess the effectiveness of the proposed (i) statutory open data scheme for retail fuel prices and (ii) road fuel prices monitoring function.

Amanda Solloway: The Government has committed to consult on the design of the statutory open data scheme and monitoring function for road fuel prices this autumn.The consultation will consider how to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the open data scheme and monitoring function ensuring consumers have the information they need to shop around and get the best prices.

Energy: Prices

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the letter by Ofgem entitled Open letter on changes in the energy supply market and Ofgem’s approach to regulation, published on 4 July 2023, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the commitment by Ofgem to review the adequacy of the price cap formula.

Amanda Solloway: As the expert independent regulator, Ofgem is responsible for operating the price cap. Ofgem remains the sole decision-maker over how it is calculated and has consulted extensively on the methodology for determining the cap level. The Government always keeps its energy supply market policies under review to ensure they are working for consumers.

Carbon Emissions: Temperature

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the impact of the UK reaching net zero on global temperatures.

Graham Stuart: The costs of global inaction significantly outweigh the costs of action. All countries need to make urgent emissions reductions across their economies if we are to keep 1.5 degrees within reach and the UK will play its part.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that the prices charged by operators of electric vehicle charging stations reflect changes to the wholesale price of electricity.

Graham Stuart: The Government is committed to working with industry to keep costs down and deliver fair electric vehicle charging prices while also ensuring the financial health and attractiveness to investors of the sector . As part of this work, we are introducing regulations to improve the consumer experience across the public charging network. To ensure pricing transparency, these regulations will mandate use of a common pricing metric, allowing consumers to compare prices in a single format.

Bricks: Manufacturing Industries

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he last visited a brick manufacturer in the context of the brick manufacturing sector's carbon emissions.

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he last visited a clay quarry in the UK in the context of that industry's carbon emissions. .

Graham Stuart: Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-energy-security-and-net-zero. Data covering the 1 January 2023 until 31 March 2023 is due to be published shortly. In line with Cabinet Office Guidance organisations are listed instead of individuals. The Government is working with these sectors to support decarbonisation. To date, the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund has given over £3m to energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects in the brick, tiles and construction products sector. Subject to business case approval, Phase 3 will open in early 2024.

Iron and Steel: Carbon Emissions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, CP 399, published on 17 March 2021, what recent progress his Department has made on decarbonising the (a) iron and (b) steel sectors by 2035.

Graham Stuart: The Government remains committed to supporting the decarbonisation of the UK steel sector and to improving its global competitiveness. Industrial sectors (including iron and steel) have been encouraged to bid into Government competitive funds worth more than £1 billion to support them in cutting emissions and improving their energy efficiency. In March, the Government also published a consultation considering a range of additional potential policy measures to mitigate future carbon leakage risk and ensure UK industrial base has the optimal policy environment to decarbonise.

Industrial Energy Transformation Fund: Job Creation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobs created by the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.

Graham Stuart: UK industry is vitally important to the economy, providing 2.6 million direct jobs and over 5 million jobs across industrial value chains. The IETF has supported over 100 companies thus far, with further winners to be announced this summer. The funding supports companies to take action to reduce their energy demand and emissions, whilst remaining competitive. However, job creation is not a specific objective of the IETF and therefore the Government does not track the number of jobs that may have been created or retained thanks to IETF support.

Industrial Energy Transformation Fund

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much funding the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund has provided to each UK region.

Graham Stuart: The £289m Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) supports industrial sites located in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. To date, we have allocated funding across five competitive application windows. Further allocations will be made this Summer. Allocations by UK region are as follows: East Midlands: £6.4mEast of England: £6mLondon: £5.3mNorthern Ireland: £7.4mNorth East: £7.1mNorth West: £45.8mSouth East: £4.7mSouth West: £743kWales: £28.4mWest Midlands: £6.3mYorkshire and the Humber: £45.2mThese figures do not include funding for projects that have chosen to withdraw from the programme.

Fuels: Motor Vehicles

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Competition and Markets Authority's report entitled Supply of road fuel in the United Kingdom market study - Final Report, published on 3 July 2023, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that report's recommendation at para 7(b) for the Government to consider whether further action may be needed to protect consumers.

Amanda Solloway: The Government has committed to consult on the design of the monitoring function, including which public body is best placed to be tasked with taking on this role.Once the function is established, as the Government has done throughout the Competition and Market Authority’s market study, any reports and recommendations that may emerge from the monitoring function will be carefully considered by the Government.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

Andy Carter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the operation of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Graham Stuart: Up to the end of May 2023 the Boiler Upgrade Scheme had received 18,433 applications and paid £58.9 million in grants. Industry reacted positively to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme during its first year, with suppliers developing competitive offers alongside the grant. Consumers can now install a heat pump for an increasingly similar price to a gas boiler. The Government is conducting an independent evaluation of the scheme, delivered through an external contractor, to inform decisions about future improvements.

Heating: Smart Devices

Andy Carter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the installation of smart-enabled hot water cylinders.

Graham Stuart: I refer my hon Friend to the answer I gave to my hon Friend the Member for Waveney (Peter Aldous) on 16 June 2023 to Question UIN 188254.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people have accessed the Boiler Upgrade Scheme since April 2022.

Graham Stuart: Since the launch of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) in May 2022 and up until the end of May 2023, 18,433 applications were received for grants towards the installation of eligible low carbon heating technologies, of which 16,052 have received a voucher and 11,719 have received payment.Source: Table 1.1 Boiler Upgrade Scheme Statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/boiler-upgrade-scheme-statistics-may-2023

Heat Pumps: Costs

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help (a) reduce the ratio of the cost of electricity to gas and (b) people to move to a heat pump.

Graham Stuart: The Government has committed to outlining an approach to gas and electricity price rebalancing by the end of 2023/24. The Government aims to make heat pumps as cheap to buy and run as a gas boiler by 2030 at the latest. The Government will do this by growing the heat pump market to support 600,000 installations per year by 2028 and expanding UK manufacturing with the aim of reducing costs by at least 25-50% by 2025.

Energy Charter Treaty

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact to the public purse of the sunset clause in the Energy Charter Treaty.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) sunset clause applies if Contracting Parties withdraw from the treaty. It extends investment protection under the ECT in respect of investments made before withdrawal and in scope of the ECT for a further 20 years after withdrawal from the treaty. The UK has been a strong advocate for modernising the Energy Charter Treaty. Since the decision to adopt the modernised Treaty has been postponed, the Government has assessed the evolving situation and we will keep the House informed of developments as soon as we are able to.

Solar Power: China

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the report by the International Energy Agency entitled Special Report on Solar PV Global Supply Chains, published in August 2022 on China’s increasing share of the solar panel supply chain.

Graham Stuart: The Department has noted the findings of the IEA report. The Solar Taskforce will focus on identifying and taking forward the actions needed to develop resilient, sustainable and innovative supply chains, to support the significant increases in deployment of solar panels needed to meet the UK’s net zero and energy security goals. The Government already encourages large-scale developers accessing its flagship Contracts for Difference scheme to grow the supply chain through the Supply Chain Plan process and supports supply chain innovation through a range of schemes, such as the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund, and initiatives funded by UK Research and Innovation.

Energy: Meters

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many and what proportion of households in each Welsh Local Authority had smart meters installed on 1 July 2023.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the number of smart meters that have been installed but cannot connect to the network in each Local Authority in Wales.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many requests have been (a) made and (b) denied for T3 aerial to enable the installation of smart meters in properties in each Local Authority in Wales.

Amanda Solloway: The Department published data on the proportion of operational smart meters by local authority across Great Britain, in its Q1 2023 statistics report. This can be accessed at www.gov.uk by searching for ‘Smart meter statistics March 2023’. Ninety one percent of the 32.4 million smart and advanced meters in homes and small businesses are operating as intended. We do not hold data on the number of non-operational meters or T3 aerial installations by local authority.

Department for Business and Trade

Iron and Steel: Environment Protection

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2023 to Question 190814 on Iron and Steel: Environment Protection, what her planned timetable is for making a decision on the Clean Steel Fund.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: We have not set a timetable for decisions on the Clean Steel Fund as we are continuing to work with the sector to understand their decarbonisation investment plans and pathways, and what would work best for the industry to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production. In the meantime, there are well established funding schemes such as the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) and the Industrial Decarbonisation and Hydrogen Revenue Support (IDHRS) that the Steel sector can access in this regard. In February, we announced the British Industry Supercharger – decisive measures to reduce energy costs for energy intensive industries, including steel, in line with those charged across the world’s major economies. The Government also takes seriously the potential for carbon leakage risk in the future. We have recently consulted on potential future measures to mitigate those risks, including the potential for a UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The consultation closed on 22 June 2023, and the government will respond to the consultation in due course.

Trade Agreements

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many officials in her Department are working on free trade negotiations.

Nigel Huddleston: As of 31/05/23 the Department for Business and Trade (ex-DIT only) had 522 members of staff working on free trade negotiations.Due to the ongoing Machine of Government changes, this figure does not include staff from ex-BEIS who will transfer over to the Department of Business and Trade, to join the Trade Negotiations group.

Energy Charter Treaty

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the Energy Charter Treaty.

Nigel Huddleston: Ministers and officials from the Department for Business and Trade have been engaging with ministers and officials from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero on the Energy Charter Treaty and will continue to do so, as appropriate.

Trade: Commonwealth

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to increase the level of trade with Commonwealthcountries.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK already has trade deals with 33 Commonwealth members. 18 members also benefit from preferential access to the UK’s newly launched Developing Countries Trading Scheme, one of the world’s most generous trade preferential schemes.Our membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) includes Brunei and Malaysia and are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India. We recently announced future FTA negotiations with the Maldives.Commonwealth Trade Minister’s met in June to set direction for commonwealth trade and investment where the UK secured important commitments aimed at boosting digital trade and investment facilitation.

Deep Sea Mining

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to prevent damage from deep-sea mining; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of issuing moratorium on deep-sea mining.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK’s policy is not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems, and strong enforceable environmental Regulations, Standards and Guidelines have been developed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and are in place. The UK’s approach is both precautionary and conditional.The Government commissioned an independent review from the British Geological Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and Heriot-Watt University. The terms of reference included a review of minerals contained in seafloor deposits and how this compares to terrestrial resources, with discussion on future resource potential and knowledge gaps. The review was published in October 2022 and is available here: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/deep-sea-mining-evidence-review-published/

Zimmer Biomet

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to help protect jobs at Zimmer Biomet in Bridgend.

Kevin Hollinrake: On the 29th June Zimmer Biomet communicated to union representatives and employees the decision to close the manufacturing operation at Bridgend with the loss of 540 jobs. With 30 sites worldwide this decision is part of the company’s strategy to reduce its global footprint.The Department for Business and Trade and Welsh Government officials are working with the company to understand the reasons behind the decision, the impacts on Bridgend and how to safeguard the workers affected.

Retail Trade: Fees and Charges

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent charges in addition to the cost of a product from being imposed through online transactions.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) require that traders must give full information about the price of the product including any unavoidable extra charges before purchase. These must be given in a clear and comprehensible manner. The Government has commissioned research on some of the wider issues around ‘drip pricing’ - i.e. traders who unfairly add fees late in the purchasing process. This looks at how widespread the practice is, and the various steps that could be taken to tackle those practices. As part of our review, the Government will consult on ‘drip pricing’ during passage of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill to seek views on which elements of ‘drip pricing’ might need tackling and if further action is required.

Minerals: Supply Chains

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to hold discussions with her European Union counterparts on cooperation between the EU and the UK for critical raw mineral supply chains under the European Critical Raw Materials Act.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act is seeking to increase the diversity, resilience and sustainability of critical minerals supply chains, in line with the aims of the UK’s own Critical Minerals Strategy published last year. We are assessing the implications of the Critical Raw Materials Act to ensure UK businesses are not disadvantaged. The UK has strong industrial capabilities and deep expertise in critical minerals and mining, and is a global centre of mining finance. We are working with the EU and likeminded partners on our common goals, for example through the Minerals Security Partnership, International Energy Agency and G7.

Companies: Human Rights

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to paragraph 193 of the Sixth Report of Session 2016–17 of the Joint Committee on Human Rights entitled Human Rights and Business 2017: Promoting responsibility and ensuring accountability, published on 5 April 2017, HC 443, if she will make it her policy to implement the Committee's recommendation on requiring UK companies to carry out human rights due diligence.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government supports and encourages a voluntary, business-led, approach to due diligence; as set out in international frameworks such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Department recently launched a review of non-financial information through a call for evidence. The review is part of the Government’s wider efforts to reduce burdens on business and drive economic growth, following our exit from the European Union. Whilst the Government continues to keep these issues under review, there are currently no plans to legally mandate companies to conduct further due diligence assessments before considering existing reporting requirements.

Energy Intensive Industries: Government Assistance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her planned timetable is for responding to the consultations on measures announced as part of the British Industry Supercharger strategy.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: A consultation on the Capacity Market exemption element of the Supercharger concluded on 29 June 2023 and a response will be issued soon. The Network Charging Compensation Scheme is subject to ongoing consultation through to 24 August 2023 and a Government response will follow. It continues to be our expectation that all the measures comprising the Supercharger package be rolled out sequentially between April 2024 and April 2025.

Exports: China

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of potential effect on the government of China's decision to restrict export of critical minerals including gallium and germanium on the competitiveness of the UK economy and the transition to net zero.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Gallium and germanium have a range of applications in electronics and communications sectors. The new Chinese export controls applying to germanium, gallium and related items coming into effect on 1st August this year may have impacts on the global supply chains for these sectors. Along with international counterparts, we are following the situation closely and are assessing risks this poses to the UK.

Department of Health and Social Care

Endoscopy: South Tyneside

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System’s 2022-23 diagnostic funding was spent on diagnostic endoscopy procedures in South Tyneside.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Wound Dressings

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to allocate resources to implement the National Wound Care Strategy Programme’s recommendations on lower limb wound care.

Helen Whately: The National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NWCSP) has been allocated funding of £600,000 for 2023/24. The NWCSP is currently testing a business case for improving leg and foot ulcer care through seven regional implementation sites, which are funded for two years from 2021/22, with final site reports expected by the end of 2023 early 2024. An interim evaluation of the first four implementation sites was positive. The last of the initial seven implementation sites will complete in December 2023 and a final evaluation report will be published very soon after.

Children: Death

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the average time families wait to undergo the Child Death Review process.

Maria Caulfield: The Government published the ‘Child Death Review Statutory and Operational Guidance for England’ in October 2019.The guidance sets out the different stages that encompass the Child Death Review Process, but does not give a set timescale within which the Child Death Review process must take place and acknowledges that timescales may vary greatly.The length of time it takes to complete the whole process is dependent on a number of external factors, such as waiting for the final post-mortem report or coroner's inquest to take place. Whilst there is no further working being undertaken at the moment to help reduce the average time families wait to undergo the Child Death Review process, the guidance advises National Health Service trusts on how they should support, communicate and engage with families following the death of someone in their care. The National Child Mortality Database publishes data on the length of time between date of death and date of Child Death Overview Panel Review in its annual data release, which is available at the following link: https://www.ncmd.info/publications/child-death-review-data-release-2022/

Health Services: Women

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number (a) women's health hubs and (b) other one-stop clinics for women.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) increase access to women's health hubs and (b) reduce health inequalities for women’s health conditions.

Maria Caulfield: On 8 March, the Government announced a £25 million investment over the next two years to accelerate the development of women’s health hubs, so that women across England can get better access to care for essential services such as menstrual problems, contraception, menopause and more. Our initial aim is to have at least one women’s health hub within every integrated care system. Further detail on the implementation of the £25 million investment will be provided in due course.Hubs aim to improve women’s access to and experience of services, and to reduce disparities in outcomes. There is no “one size fits all”, and hub models will look different in different places and should be tailored to the needs of local populations.

Mental Health Services

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to mental health services.

Steve Barclay: We have invested record amounts into NHS mental health services committing £2.3 billion a year compared to four years ago for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by 2024.This has enabled 2 million more people to access NHS mental health support.Specifically, we invested £15.5 billion in mental health across 2022/23, representing 24% more than in 2018/19 and helping to:Grow the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staffInvest in up to 100 new mental health ambulances over 2 years with £7 million fundingEnsure emergency mental health support through NHS111 available everywhere in England by April 2024

Ashford Hospital

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that Woking residents can access Ashford hospital.

Steve Barclay: I congratulate my Honourable Friend for his efforts and ongoing campaign and petition to secure a direct bus route between Woking and Ashford Hospital in Surrey.He has made me aware that increasing numbers of appointments for Woking residents have been scheduled at Ashford Hospital over recent times and that current public transport links between Woking and the hospital are far from ideal.To help expand wider access Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has received £15 million in the 2020/21 to 2021/22 period for the expansion of the emergency department and urgent treatment centre that serves, amongst others, the Woking area. This scheme is completed, and the site is operational.In addition to this, the trust was also allocated £10 million in the 2022/23 to 2023/24 period from our Elective Recovery Targeted Investment Fund for theatres and procedure rooms.I wish my Honourable Friend a successful outcome to his important campaign on this matter.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the impact of her Department's policy of prescribing alternative hormone replacement therapy medication when preferred medication is unavailable on the ability of menopausal women to manage changes in side-effects and drug interactions.

Will Quince: Clinicians are responsible for making prescribing decisions for their patients, working with them to decide on the course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care for the individual always being the primary consideration.Serious shortages protocols (SSPs) are developed with input from expert clinicians but are only considered in exceptional circumstances. An SSP enables community pharmacists to supply a specified medicine or device in accordance with a protocol rather than a prescription, with the patient’s consent and without needing to seek authorisation from the prescriber.Patient safety is a key factor in deciding whether to use an SSP to manage a shortage. As well as being agreed upon by clinical experts, every draft SSP is reviewed by NHS England’s National Medical Director and Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, who can suggest amendments and exclusions and raise any potential safety concerns about the SSP. At no point in the operation of the SSP policy has the Department yet received or been made aware of any concerns or negative effects on patient safety as a result of an SSP being in place.All SSPs include a section on those patients who are excluded from being supplied in accordance with the SSP. Pharmacists must also use their professional judgement to decide whether it is appropriate for any patient to be supplied in accordance with an SSP. In addition, patients must consent to be supplied in accordance with an SSP. In the event that either the pharmacist or patient has any concerns, the pharmacist must refer the patient back to their prescriber, as would happen if an SSP was not in place.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services

Sir Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 26 April to Question 181988 on Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services, how many people are on a waiting list for community musculoskeletal services.

Will Quince: Published Community Health Service waiting list data shows there were 286,424 adults waiting for community musculoskeletal services as of April 2023.NHS England does not hold data on how many people waiting for community musculoskeletal services were provided with an appointment within a certain time of referral.

NHS: Anniversaries

Mark Logan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of technology on secondary healthcare at Royal Bolton Hospital.

Will Quince: The Department marked the 75th Anniversary of the National Health Service over the course of June and July, working closely with NHS England. The Department and NHS England made a number of flagship announcements, including the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan; a new national targeted lung cancer screening programme; the Government’s Mandate to NHS England; an additional one million health checks to tackle cardiovascular disease through the new NHS Digital Health Checks; and a £21 million fund for NHS trusts to bid and procure artificial intelligence diagnostic imaging tools.In December 2022, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust published their Digital Strategy for 2022-2025, which sets out their ambition to become a 'Digital Trust' via four objectives, digital integration, digital care, digital workforce and digital infrastructure. The Strategy sets out the proposed changes to the local health and social care system and benefits to patients, the workforce and system. In 2022/23, the Department provided Royal Bolton £1.29 million to “digitise the frontline” by improving access to electronic patient record data across the NHS. £18 million has also been provided for the development of a Community Diagnostic Centre to support the creation of a digitally enabled estate.

Hospitals: Construction

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the prioritisation of work agreed under the New Hospitals Programme.

Will Quince: All schemes that are part of the New Hospital Programme will be subject to the necessary assurance processes, as per HM Treasury Green Book guidance. This will mean that the new hospitals will deliver improvements that meet the needs of staff and patients in these areas, taking into account local needs and specifications. The business case process will also ensure that all plans provide value for money and are deliverable.To deliver the new hospitals, different schemes have been grouped into cohorts as part of the national programme. These represent a balance of progress for earlier schemes while enabling standardisation in design and utilisation of economies of scale across schemes in later cohorts. However, we have always been clear that this would be subject to ongoing review as the programme progresses. For example, we are now prioritising the rebuild of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete hospitals due to their urgent need of repair and the risk they pose to patient and staff safety.

Hospitals: Construction

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of improvements to hospitals carried out as a result of the New Hospitals Programme.

Will Quince: All schemes that are part of the New Hospital Programme will be subject to the necessary assurance processes, as per HM Treasury Green Book guidance. This will mean that the new hospitals will deliver improvements that meet the needs of staff and patients in these areas, taking into account local needs and specifications. The business case process will also ensure that all plans provide value for money and are deliverable.To deliver the new hospitals, different schemes have been grouped into cohorts as part of the national programme. These represent a balance of progress for earlier schemes while enabling standardisation in design and utilisation of economies of scale across schemes in later cohorts. However, we have always been clear that this would be subject to ongoing review as the programme progresses. For example, we are now prioritising the rebuild of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete hospitals due to their urgent need of repair and the risk they pose to patient and staff safety.

NHS: Capital Investment

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 5.43 of The Hewitt Review: An independent review of integrated care systems, published on 4 April 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a cross-government review of the NHS capital regime.

Will Quince: As set out in our response to the Hewitt Review, the Department agrees with the need for a review of the National Health Service capital regime, specifically for those areas not covered in detail by the independent review in 2021.This includes considering how we set an overall strategic direction for NHS capital, how the current capital regime operates for primary care, clarifying the position on new private finance and improving the data held and management of the NHS estate.We will set out next steps in due course.

Hospitals: Construction

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the New Hospitals Programme has cost to date.

Will Quince: The Government committed an initial £3.7 billion for the first four years of the New Hospital Programme. This was part of a multi-year capital funding settlement in 2020 and, as with any multi-year investment, future funding will be set out in further detail at future Spending Reviews. As per the announcement on 25 May 2023, the New Hospital Programme is now expected to be backed by over £20 billion of investment in hospital infrastructure.The budget for the New Hospital Programme came into effect on 1 April 2021. Total spending to date is £1,141,592,000 of which £496,244,000 is of the outturn position for 2022/23 and remains provisional subject to final audit.

Tinnitus

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to (a) improve and (b) invest in services supporting people with tinnitus.

Will Quince: Commissioning of hearing services, including support for people with tinnitus, takes place at a local level based on the needs of the local population. We expect commissioners to follow relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, including the NICE guideline [NG155] Tinnitus: assessment and management.In addition, the Action Plan on Hearing Loss (2015) sets out key objectives on hearing loss and related hearing conditions including tinnitus: prevention, early diagnosis, maximising independence, and enabling people to take part in everyday activities.A large group of people with tinnitus will also benefit from reassurance and advice. Some people with distressing tinnitus may need to access a range of further specialist support through their local National Health Service hearing services that could include counselling, sound therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, which aims to retrain the way people respond to tinnitus.

Food: Allergies

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve labelling for people with allergies to legumes and pulses on (a) restaurant and (b) shop-bought food products.

Neil O'Brien: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Food Standards Scotland are responsible for food allergen labelling in Scotland. Food businesses have a duty to inform customers about 14 mandatory allergens which are recognised across Europe as the most common allergenic ingredients of public health concern. Pulses and legumes (with the exception of peanuts) are not included in the list of 14 mandated allergens. The prevalence of allergy to pulses and legumes in the United Kingdom is currently unknown, though any emerging evidence will continue to be assessed as it becomes available.Food businesses who sell prepacked or prepacked for direct sale foods, such as food-to-go, are required to provide a full list of ingredients, and to highlight the 14 allergens on packaging. Those with an allergy or intolerance to foods outside of the 14 mandated allergens should be able to check the ingredients list and avoid the foods they need to.For non-prepacked food, such as food served in a restaurant, the food business must provide information on the presence of any of the 14 allergens. They can do this in writing or verbally. People with food hypersensitivities should ask if the food they wish to avoid is used in any of the dishes. If in doubt, or the information cannot be reliably provided, the advice is to not eat at the premises.

Influenza: Vaccination

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the percentage of seasonal flu vaccinations which can be delivered by (a) Community Pharmacies, (b) General Practice, (c) other providers.

Maria Caulfield: NHS providers determine how many seasonal flu vaccines to buy each year based on their local populations, eligible cohorts and uptake ambitions for the NHS programme as outlined in the annual flu system letter. The letter, published on the 25 May 2023, is based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) who review the latest evidence on flu vaccines and advise on the type of vaccine to be offered to different age groups and on which vaccines should be prioritised for various at-risk groups.General Practitioners and community pharmacists are responsible for ordering their own flu vaccines for the adult population from suppliers. These are then used to deliver the national flu vaccination programme, with deliveries phased through the season to help mitigate against risks of wastage, cold chain failure and to adequately cover the peaks and flows of local demand. In addition, Hospital Trusts are commissioned at local discretion, to further support delivery of the national flu vaccination programme, for example to women who are pregnant, long stay in-patients and those accessing outpatients' services.School Age Immunisation Services (SAIS) are commissioned regionally to deliver the school aged influenza programme in line with the annual flu system letter and amendment published on the July 3, 2023. The school age programme for 2023/24 includes primary school aged children from Reception to Year 6 and secondary school-aged children in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. Vaccines for the children’s programme are procured nationally with SAISproviders responsible for drawing down their own vaccines according to their schedules, capacity and demand, with deliveries phased through the season to help mitigate against risks of wastage and cold chain failure.For in detail seasonal influenza percentage uptake delivered by (a) Community Pharmacies, (b) General Practice, (c) other providers please see page 41 and 42 of the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1164871/GP-patients-flu-annual-report-2022-2023.pdf

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Ghana: LGBT+ People

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Ghana on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK continues to monitor the Private Members Bill, which would further criminalise consensual same-sex relationships and undermine the human rights and freedoms of those perceived as being LGBT+. Ministers and officials speak regularly with the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders about the Bill. I [Andrew Mitchell] raised this most recently on two different occasions in June 2023, and with the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee during my visit to Ghana in December 2022.

Israel: Palestinians

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he is making to his Israeli counterparts on the protection of Palestinian (a) healthcare and (b) civilians in the West Bank from Israeli military operations.

David Rutley: Israel must abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of proportionality, distinction and necessity. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of regularised access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities. Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty to ensure and maintain public health to the fullest extent possible. During his call on 4 July with the Israeli chargé d'affaires in London, the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, urged Israel to safeguard access to healthcare and take proactive steps to guarantee the safety of civilians during Israeli operations in the West Bank. The Foreign Secretary emphasised the importance of the proactive protection of civilians during his call with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on 5 July.

Ljubljana-The Hague Convention

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what consultation his Department undertook when drafting amendments to the proposed Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes and other International Crimes.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office coordinated and agreed UK negotiating positions with other government departments in advance of and during the negotiations on the Ljubljana-The Hague Convention. UK negotiators also consulted widely during the Diplomatic Conference with delegations from other participating States and observers, including civil society representatives. Following the negotiations, the Convention was adopted by consensus on 26 May.

Development Aid: Education

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding entitled Girls Education Project Phase Three.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Girls Education Project 3 (GEP3) was designed to improve education quality and access in six Nigerian states with high numbers of out-of-school girls. Between 2012 and 2022, the project supported 1.5 million additional girls to access schooling. It increased enrolment of girls, and improved education system governance and planning. GEP3 improved education quality by training over 64,000 teachers.

Kenya: Development Aid

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding entitled Reducing Maternal and Newborn Deaths in Kenya.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The 'Reducing Maternal and Newborn Deaths in Kenya' programme was a ten-year, £64.6 million intervention which ended in March 2023. The most recent Review in June 2021 found the programme to be effective in scaling up service delivery and scored it an A. The programme resulted in increased skilled birth attendance rate, reductions in still birth rate and helped reduce maternal deaths from 362 to 355 per 100,000 live births.It also highlighted lessons learnt, including the need to scale up training in emergency obstetric and newborn care, and the importance of staff retention and establishment of supportive governance structures.

Development Aid

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding entitled Development and Economic Growth Research Programme.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Economic Growth Research Team in FCDO undertook performance assessments during the life of the Development and Economic Growth Research Programme (DEGRP), through the annual review process. The reviews consistently rated the programme's outputs as having met expectations. On completion of the programme in 2021, a programme completion review was undertaken to assess the programme's performance over its full lifespan. The review judged the programme as having successfully met expectations overall, having funded many high-quality academic publications across topics such as inclusive financial sector development, innovation and productivity growth in low-income countries. All programme assessments are published on DevTracker.

Cab International: Membership

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the UK's CABI membership.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO is proud of CABI's effectiveness in using science to improve food security in developing countries and our investment in CABI's PlantwisePlus programme has received an A rating. The recent Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) Review of UK aid to agriculture in a time of climate change noted that CABI's work "strengthens capabilities in agricultural research and extension services of Member Countries".The UK's membership offers access to their world leading expertise on plant pests and diseases and supports the FCDO's work to increase food production in developing countries. Participation in CABI's governance also provides the UK opportunities to influence CABI's strategy and build partnerships with, and understand the priorities of, other Member Countries.

Charities: Development Aid

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding entitled UK Aid Direct Fund: working with small and medium charities.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The International Development Strategy sets out the FCDO's commitment to working in partnership with a diverse range of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). UK Aid Direct is the FCDO's main centrally-managed funding mechanism for small and medium sized CSOs based in the UK and overseas, working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.By July 2022, the programme had reached more than 9.7 million vulnerable and marginalised beneficiaries across 39 countries, through 196 grants. UK Aid Direct has continued to perform well against its output indicators and has met or exceeded expectations at every Annual Review.

Development Aid

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Support to Social Protection Programme grant.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Social Protection Programme grant has been assessed as effective in reaching those in need and achieving the expected impact. It was doubled in size to respond to the back-to-back crises of cyclones and COVID in 2019 and 2020, reaching almost one million poor and vulnerable households. The programme benefit was increased to the equivalent of £100 over a six-month period, an increase from the previous £39.6 that beneficiaries would receive over the same period.

Zimbabwe: Money Laundering

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support investigations into alleged money laundering connected with alleged proceeds of corruption in Zimbabwe.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK regularly engages with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, Government of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean civil society and other actors on tackling corruption in Zimbabwe. In 2021, the UK sanctioned Zimbabwean businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei for serious corruption.

Armed Conflict: Food Supply

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure safe access to food in conflict zones.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK supports populations living in conflict zones with a range of assistance to ensure safe access to food, including cash assistance. Last year we provided £156 million in humanitarian assistance across East Africa, including food assistance. The UK champions UN Security Council Resolution 2417 on conflict and hunger which enables reporting and early warnings to the Security Council when parties to conflict are blocking access and destroying assets like crops.

Famine: Humanitarian Aid

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made on delivering commitments in the G7 famine prevention and humanitarian crises compact.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact was agreed during the UK's G7 Presidency and we have provided our share of the $7 billion in humanitarian assistance to the countries one step from famine in 2021. We have also allocated a further £3 billion for humanitarian responses over the next three years. We continue to deliver on our policy commitments in the Compact. For example, we co-convened events at COP27 and the Riyadh Humanitarian Forum 2023 to discuss effective approaches to scaling up anticipatory action in fragile and conflict affected states and continue to work with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and others through our core funding.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Intellectual Property: Artificial Intelligence

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help safeguard the intellectual property rights of performers in the music, comedy and wider arts sector, in the context of advances in artificial intelligence technology.

Paul Scully: Performers such as those in the music, comedy and wider arts sectors have their performances protected under Part II of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended. Sections 182 and 182A of the Act give performers the right to control who is able to record and make reproductions of their performances. These provisions apply regardless of the technology used to make such reproductions, including AI technology.The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is working to develop a code of practice on copyright, related rights and AI. The IPO has met with representatives of performers as part of this process, as well as representatives of AI firms, AI users, and the wider creative industries. Alongside this, the IPO will be developing guidance on how copyright and related rights apply to material used and generated by AI models. The Government seeks to strike a balanced and pragmatic approach which allows AI innovators and the creative industries to grow in partnership.

Semiconductors: Manufacturing Industries

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has had discussions with representatives of Intel on (a) establishing a semiconductor factory in the UK and (b) investment in the UK semiconductor industry.

Paul Scully: The National Semiconductor Strategy, published on 19 May, sets out the government’s approach to growing our domestic semiconductor sector, safeguarding the UK against supply chain disruption and protecting our national security.Developed in collaboration with industry and academia, this Strategy articulates an ambitious vision that over the next 20 years, the UK will secure areas of world leading strength in the technologies of the future by focusing on our strengths in R&D, design and compound semiconductors. The Government is engaging widely with industry, including Intel, on taking forward the ambitious set out in the Strategy.Our strategy is rightly differentiated to those other countries are pursuing. While others are investing in large-scale silicon manufacturing, reflecting their strengths, we will double down on our own complementary strengths in R&D, design and compound.Intel are one of the most significant companies in the global semiconductor industry, their UK activity is largely focused on R&D, which is in line with the UK government’s focus for growing the domestic sector outlined in the strategy. They have also recently launched a UK branch of their startup accelerator programme, Intel Ignite, in recognition of the UK’s thriving tech startup ecosystem.Industry partners have told us that difficulty accessing the software tools and manufacturing equipment to design, prototype, pilot and produce innovations is a major barrier to the sector’s growth. As set out in the Strategy, we will announce plans by the autumn to further support the competitiveness of the semiconductor manufacturing sector that is critical to the UK tech ecosystem or our national security.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the rollout of broadband services in semi-rural areas in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland.

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) local government on improving broadband speeds in semi-rural areas.

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what support her Department has provided to businesses to support the rollout of improved broadband services in (a) urban, (b) rural and (c) semi-urban areas.

Stuart Andrew: Currently, 97.6% premises across the UK have access to a superfast connection (>=30 Mbps) and 76.4% have gigabit-capable coverage. In Scotland, these figures are 95.7% and 70.2% for superfast and gigabit-capable respectively. Through Project Gigabit the Government aims to reach at least 85% gigabit-capable coverage across the UK by 2025 and then to reach near-universal coverage as soon as possible.For urban areas, a key part of the Government’s approach is to promote increased competition in broadband delivery. We have made it as easy and attractive as possible for firms to build their networks in the UK, and we now have a thriving market of over 80 providers investing nearly £35bn rolling out gigabit broadband all over the UK.To support coverage in rural areas, 31 local and regional procurements have now been launched within England, with 12 of these now in the contract delivery stage.Within Scotland, the Scottish Government undertook a Public Review during March and April 2023 to seek responses from broadband suppliers and other interested parties on current and planned commercial coverage of gigabit broadband. The Scottish Government has also undertaken initial market engagement with suppliers on their potential interest in Project Gigabit contracts in Scotland, prior to procurements commencing later this year.The Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% (R100) project is also providing gigabit broadband coverage to 115,000 premises that do not have access to superfast broadband, with £49.5 million funding from the UK government. This project has covered over 24,000 premises to date.Premises in Scotland can also benefit from support through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which provides up to £4,500 towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable infrastructure for homes and businesses, while remaining sub-superfast premises are also eligible for support from the Scottish Government’s Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

South Cambridgeshire District Council: Working Hours

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department’s letter of 30 June 2023 to the leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, what legal power he used to require that South Cambridgeshire District Council stop its four-day working week trial.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon. Member to my letter of 30 June. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Housing: Key Workers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the availability of key worker housing for health professionals.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that newly qualified NHS staff have access to affordable housing.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if the Government will create a scheme for overseas recruited NHS staff to be able to access key worker housing in their first year of working in the NHS.

Rachel Maclean: We recognise the importance of ensuring high-quality, affordable accommodation is available to NHS staff. We are working closely together with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to explore how we can best support NHS Trusts to deliver key worker accommodation where it is needed. Lord Markham and I announced last month we will lead a joint taskforce to work through the barriers identified for NHS staff accessing housing.

Housing: Construction

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the viability of the modular homes sector.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 192723 on 11 July 2023.

Local Plans: Green Belt

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2023 to Question 192198 on Local Plans: Green Belt, whether local planning authorities progressing local plans should do so in accordance with (a) the Written Statement of 6 December 2022, HCWS415 on the Levelling Up Bill or (b) the National Planning Policy Framework as last revised on 20 July 2021.

Rachel Maclean: As set out previously, consultations are just that – consultations. They are not government policy. Announcements will be made in the usual way.

Property Development: Planning Permission

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2023 to Question 192197 on Property Development: Planning Permission, notwithstanding the Increasing planning fees and performance: technical consultation of 28 February 2023, whether he plans to provide funding to planning authorities for monitoring compliance with planning conditions for significant developments which were set by his Department before the implementation of proposed changes to planning fee schedules.

Rachel Maclean: We have consulted on an increase planning fees by 35% for major applications and 25% for all other applications. This additional funding could be used to monitor compliance with conditions, including those attached to appeal decisions. Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Temporary Accommodation: Pets

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to local authorities to allow people to be housed with their pets in (a) emergency and (b) temporary accommodation.

Felicity Buchan: As set out in the Homelessness Code of Guidance housing authorities should be sensitive to the importance of pets to some applicants, particularly elderly people and rough sleepers who may rely on pets for companionship. Although it will not always be possible to make provision for pets, the Secretary of State recommends that housing authorities give careful consideration to this when making provision for applicants who wish to retain their pet.The reforms within the Renters (Reform) Bill in relation to pets will apply to temporary accommodation within the private rented sector.

Women and Equalities

Disability: Cost of Living

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent estimate the Government has made of the additional costs of living with a disability.

Mims Davies: The Government understands the pressures people are currently facing, including those with disabilities and health conditions. As a Government we are providing total support of over £94bn from 2022 to 2024 to help all households and individuals with the cost of living, this includes an additional £150 for disabled people. The Disability Cost of Living Payment should be seen as only one part of the overall package of support, 85% of those who qualify for it, will also receive the means-tested or the pensioner cost of living payment.

Gynaecology

Gill Furniss: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on preventing (a) virginity testing and (b) hymenoplasty procedures.

Maria Caulfield: This government is clear that virginity testing and hymenoplasty are forms of violence against women and girls and are harmful practices which stem from dangerous misconceptions about a woman’s sexuality.Last year we banned the carrying out, offering and aiding and abetting of virginity testing and hymenoplasty through the Health and Care Act 2022.We have also published safeguarding guidance for anyone who may come in to contact with women and girls affected.

Development Aid: Education

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the impact of international development spending on girls’ education.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Between 2015 and 2020 FCDO supported 8.1 million girls to gain a decent education.Through our Girls’ Education Challenge programme, we have supported up to 1.6 million girls, and over 150,000 girls with disabilities, to make progress in school.We will soon launch a new campaign on girls’ education results, to demonstrate the lifechanging impact of UK funding.

Women: Gambling

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on tackling problem gambling among women.

Stuart Andrew: We carried out a wide-ranging Review of the Gambling Act 2005 and recently published a white paper.Our proposals will benefit anyone who is experiencing or at risk of harm, very much including women.We are working hard with the Gambling Commission and others to implement them as soon as possible.

Asylum: Equality

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on support for asylum seekers with protected characteristics.

Miss Sarah Dines: Everybody has a protected characteristic.In supporting individuals and where it is required, we have an obligation to provide accommodation which is adequate to their needs, which may or may not be on account of protected characteristics.Accommodation providers are required to take account of specific requirements from individuals who have specific characteristics including sexual and gender identity.

LGBT+ People

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to strengthen LGBT+ rights.

Stuart Andrew: The UK has a proud history of LGBT rights with a comprehensive and robust framework of legislative protection.We have already taken great strides, including:reducing the cost of applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate and moving the application process onlineextending same-sex marriage to Northern Irelandsetting out our plan to end new HIV cases by 2030, and ending the ban on HIV+ people joining the UK armed services; andsetting out tailored action to address LGBT homelessness in the Rough Sleeping Strategy, such as improving how data on LGBT homelessness is collected and extending investment into coordinated local rough sleeping services.I am also pleased to add that I recently held a roundtable with a range of stakeholders on the issue of LGBT homelessness which explored prevalence and what we can do to address it in the coming months. We will continue to make progress on LGBT rights and will set out further details soon.

Older People: Discrimination

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to reduce age discrimination against older people.

Stuart Andrew: Age discrimination against older people that cannot be objectively justified is unacceptable and unlawful across a range of fields under the Equality Act 2010. It is the strong protections in the 2010 Act that enable older people and their representatives to challenge such unlawful behaviour and ultimately seek redress in the courts or, in the case of older workers, an employment tribunal. In addition, as regards to the public sector, the Public Sector Equality Duty places a duty on Government Departments, local authorities, the NHS and other bodies to have due regard to meeting equality requirements, including to eliminate unlawful age discrimination, where this is relevant to their policies and activities.

Ministry of Defence

Veterans: Identity Cards

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2023 to Question 183286 on Veterans: Identity Cards, how many veteran ID cards have been distributed by local authority area as of 1 July 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's Question. I will write to her when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Cameroon: Armed Forces

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor whether armed forces personnel trained by the UK in Cameroon have been transferred to the (a) north west and (b) south west regions of that country.

James Heappey: The UK is committed to supporting the Government of Cameroon in its efforts to counter the terrorist threat posed by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, which threatens both the region and wider international security. UK training to the Cameroonian military is specifically provided to units that will only be deployed to the far north of Cameroon. Records are kept on all trainees to monitor for any potential diversion of UK-trained units. We keep our security cooperation under constant review.

NATO

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to strengthen the UK’s defence strategic partnership with NATO since February 2022.

James Heappey: The Integrated Review Refresh was clear that NATO remains the bedrock of UK security. The UK has declared almost all of our Armed Forces to NATO, including Space and Cyber capabilities and our Continuous at Sea Deterrent. This is our strongest force commitment ever. The UK remains one of the top nations in NATO for Defence spending and contributes to every NATO mission. The UK has led the conversation on defence spending commitments, increasing industrial capacity and burden-sharing.

NATO

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with NATO officials on the alliance’s regional plans.

James Heappey: The Secretary of State for Defence regularly engages with NATO Allies, including most recently at the NATO Defence Ministers' Meeting on 15-16 June where we discussed NATO's new regional plans. Allies have agreed NATO's new warfighting plans as part of NATO's once-in-a-generation military transformation. The plans provide NATO's military commanders a wide range of multi-speed and multi-scale options to defend every inch of the Alliance. He will further discuss NATO's military transformation with Allies during the Summit in Vilnius.

NATO: Staff

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2023 to Question 191021 on NATO: Staff, what these figures were in each year since 2010.

James Heappey: The UK is one of the largest contributors of personnel to NATO, underlining our commitment to deterrence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area, with personnel deployed over twenty-one countries. The number of UK personnel posted to NATO Headquarters, SHAPE and MARCOM each year since 2010 can be found below.  20102011201220132014201520162017201820192020NATO HQ Brussels4436364745434645434145Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers (SHAPE)N/A*135166169159165163157154159167MARCOM, Northwood3939384137403638384241 * Accurate figures for Shape in 2010 are not available on the military system.

AUKUS

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates he has held discussions with the (a) Prime Minister and (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer on AUKUS Pillar One since March 2023.

James Cartlidge: The Defence Secretary frequently engages with the Prime Minister and the Chancellor on all aspects of defence activity as part of normal Government business, including AUKUS.

AUKUS

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made in using AUKUS Pillar Two to develop emerging technologies for the UK Armed Forces.

James Cartlidge: Under Pillar two of AUKUS we are further enhancing the development of joint capabilities, interoperability between our forces, and technology sharing, ensuring our people are kept safe from harm and reinforcing our shared goals. In April 2023, the first AUKUS artificial intelligence and autonomy trial was held at Upavon in Wiltshire. Trilateral partners will look to rapidly drive these, and other technologies, into responsible military use at the earliest opportunity.

Defence: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to strengthen defence procurement in the last 12 months.

James Cartlidge: We are tackling the systemic issues that are impacting on the delivery of programmes by setting our programmes up for success at the outset, tailoring our processes and increasing the capacity and capability of our senior responsible owners leading our biggest projects. However we can do more to improve and are committed to learning the lessons of the Sheldon review.

National Security Council

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many meetings of the National Security Council has he attended on Ukraine since February 2022.

Mr Ben Wallace: It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared.

Armed Forces: Personal Records

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle backlogs in service record requests.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has taken several steps to improve the service and tackle the backlog for service record requests. These have included establishing a contract with an industry partner for the digital transfer of physical records; significant investment in additional staffing costs; and we are increasing the number of staff to deal with the backlog.

Defence Safety Authority

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Defence Safety Authority since 2015.

James Cartlidge: The Defence Safety Authority (DSA) was independently audited in 2018. There are currently no plans for a further external audit, due to the DSA being subject to normal Ministry of Defence (MOD) audit processes.In addition, the DSA is continually assessed in accordance with MOD internal assurance processes and held to account during regular reviews by the 2nd Permanent Secretary.

Defence Equipment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has undertaken a review into the armed forces’ level of stockpiles since February 2022.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence keeps stockpile levels under constant review under the key munitions planning process.

Armed Forces: Housing

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has paid to (a) Pinnacle Group, (b) VIVO and (c) Amey under the service accommodation contracts awarded in June 2021.

James Cartlidge: I am unable to provide this information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Armed Forces: Housing

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress (a) Pinnacle Group, (b) VIVO and (c) Amey have made on implementing their service accommodation rectification plans.

James Cartlidge: Pinnacle have completed the implementation of the Rectification Plan and are at or above the minimum Acceptable Level of Performance (ALP) in all areas where they have sole responsibility for delivery.Performance has improved for both VIVO and Amey in the key areas of response maintenance timeframes and reducing the backlog of maintenance tasks, since the rectification plans were implemented in September 2022. However, there is still more work to do before VIVO and Amey are consistently at the ALP.The Department has set out an expectation that suppliers must demonstrate they can sustain performance at or above the ALP before the rectification plans will be considered to have succeeded. The Department has made it very clear that there is still more to achieve before Service families are getting the level of service that they are entitled to.

Armed Forces: Housing

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what payments to (a) Pinnacle Group, (b) VIVO and (c) Amey have been withheld on performance grounds in the last three years.

James Cartlidge: The Department has exercised to the fullest extent its contractual rights to withhold fixed and variable profit in respect of the delivery of the contractual performance measures.Information regarding the specific amount is being withheld and cannot be provided, as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

NATO: Vilnius

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's priorities are for the 2023 Vilnius NATO summit this month.

James Heappey: The NATO Summit is an opportunity to build on the work we have done in the past year to bolster NATO's deterrence and defence posture in light of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. This includes all NATO members committing to spend 2% of GDP on defence as a floor not a ceiling through the Defence Investment Pledge, agreeing new Regional Plans to ensure we are deploying our assets most effectively and increasing defence industrial cooperation between allies. The UK's latest offer to NATO under the New NATO Force Model will provide NATO with a substantial uplift in our deployable forces. ​Supporting Ukraine with substantial political and financial commitments will be at the forefront of the Summit.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2023 to Question 174212 on Afghanistan: Refugees, if he will provide the figures for (a) April, (b) May and (c) June 2023.

James Heappey: Since December 2022, as and when relocation to the UK has become possible for ARAP eligible individuals and their families, travel to the UK has been via commercial flights rather than RAF flights. Hence, no RAF flights have flown ARAP EPs from Pakistan to the UK between April 2023 and June 2023.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghans confirmed eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy prior to the end of Operation Pitting remain in Afghanistan.

James Heappey: As of 7 July 2023, our records show four Afghans confirmed eligible prior to the end of Op Pitting remain in Afghanistan. We are actively supporting the relocation of those in this cohort who still wish to relocate to the UK.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many eligible principals under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy has his Department lost contact with; and how many of these people are in Afghanistan.

James Heappey: The number of ARAP eligible principals who have failed to respond to contact is currently 70. Of these, our records show that 37 were in Afghanistan at the time of their last contact with the Ministry of Defence.Applicants may fall out of contact with us for a variety of reasons: they may have changed their contact details and not informed us or have decided to relocate elsewhere. We continue to use a range of means to re-establish contact with these applicants in order to continue their relocation to the UK, should they wish to proceed.

Air Force: Training

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trainee pilots in each phase of the military flying training system resigned from the Armed Forces in each year since 2015.

James Heappey: Information required to answer the question is not held in the format requested and will take time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the information is available.

USA: Military Alliances

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps has he taken to strengthen the UK’s defence strategic partnership with the US since February 2022.

James Heappey: The Defence Secretary and his officials speak regularly with their US counterparts to ensure we are strategically aligned across our defence and security relationship. We have remained in lockstep with the US in our support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, announced the historic optimal pathway to implement the AUKUS partnership, and most recently committed in the Atlantic Declaration to optimise our export control laws to streamline defence trade between our nations.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Lotteries: China

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of UK lottery players' personal data being disclosed to Chinese state-owned businesses.

Stuart Andrew: Personal data of UK National Lottery players has not been disclosed to or processed by Chinese state-owned businesses.The Operator of the National Lottery must ensure that it and its suppliers are compliant with Data Protection legislation.

Gambling

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress she has made on implementing the policies set out in her Department's policy paper entitled High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age, published April 2023.

Stuart Andrew: Our white paper set out a range of proportionate measures to tackle practices and products which can drive harm and ensure that people who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected. These include new player protection checks, a stake limit for online slots games, improvements to consumer redress and a statutory levy on operators to fund research, education and treatment.We are working with the Gambling Commission and other stakeholders to bring these measures into force as soon as possible, subject to further consultation where appropriate. The Government will publish a number of targeted consultations this summer, with the Commission also consulting on a number of priority areas.

Football: Television

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will amend the Category A list of sports that are free to air on television to include the (a) Champion's League Final, (b) Europa League Final and (c) Europa Conference League Final; and if she will make a statement.

Stuart Andrew: The government believes that certain sporting events of national interest should be shown on free-to-air television rather than behind a paywall, so that they can be enjoyed by as wide an audience as possible. That is why we have the listed events regime.In determining what events form part of this regime, a balance between accessibility and the ability of sporting organisations to generate revenues from commercial broadcast arrangements to invest in the development of their sports from the grassroots up. The Government believes that the current list strikes an appropriate balance, and has no current plans to undertake a full review of the events on the list.

Sports: Electronic Cigarettes

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July to Question 191413 on Sports: Electronic Cigarettes, if her Department will collect information on the level of advertising by vaping companies.

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July to Question 191414 on Sports: Electronic Cigarettes, if her Department will collect information on the level of sponsorship of sports teams by vaping companies.

Stuart Andrew: The department does not currently plan to assess the levels of sponsorships by vaping companies in sport, or the level of vaping advertising more broadly. Sports are responsible for their own commercial deals.

Television: Digital Broadcasting

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Media Bill on access to digital terrestrial television in the period to 2040.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government remains committed to the future of digital terrestrial television (DTT), the technology which underpins Freeview. Millions of households across the UK rely on DTT, particularly rural communities and older people.We also recognise the crucial role that DTT services play in the wider UK broadcasting system, in particular in helping ensure that public service content continues to be widely available and free-to-air to all audiences.For these reasons, the Government has already legislated to secure the continuity of DTT until at least 2034.As the sector evolves, it is right that we continue to evaluate the future distribution of television services. To that end, and as set out in the Broadcasting White Paper, the Government has asked Ofcom to continue to track changes in DTT viewing and to undertake an early review on market changes that may affect the future of content distribution before the end of 2025.Before any decisions about the future of terrestrial television are made, close consideration will be given to how any changes would impact audiences, and especially those who rely on DTT as their primary means of watching television.Separately, the Media Bill will reform decades-old laws to turbocharge the growth potential of our world-leading public service broadcasters (PSBs). The Government has published impact assessments for the draft Media Bill and, as is usual practice, an updated set will be submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee for independent scrutiny, and published when the Bill is introduced.

Hampton Court Palace: Fees and Charges

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had recent discussions with Historic Royal Palaces on free public access to the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.

Sir John Whittingdale: Historic Royal Palaces is a charity which raises its own funds and depends on the support of visitors, members, donors, sponsors, and volunteers to look after the extraordinary buildings in its care and share them with the widest possible public. As this is an operational matter for Historic Royal Palaces, the Department has not discussed it with the organisation.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Poultry: Imports

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take steps to ban the import of poultry raised at a higher stocking density than is legal in the UK.

Mark Spencer: The UK Government does not have any current plans to ban the import of poultry raised at a higher stocking density than is legal in the UK.

Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain Independent Review

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2023 to Question 192337 on Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain Independent Review, what the criteria were for the appointment of the (a) chair and (b) expert panel; and whether she made an assessment of the potential merits of including people with lived experience of working as labourers in the food supply chain on the panel.

Mark Spencer: The chair and expert panel were directly appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs based on a set of criteria, including for their knowledge and expertise covering farming, fisheries, processing and manufacturing aspects of the supply chain. Since it was an independent review, Defra is not responsible for commenting on the specific evidence used to shape the final report, but notes that the Review does contain a Methodology section with more information that may be of interest. However, Defra does undertake an annual survey of workers involved in the Seasonal Worker visa route and this information was made available to the review team.

Food: Imports

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to seek the ability to be to able to ban food imports on animal welfare grounds under World Trade Organization terms.

Mark Spencer: We remain firmly committed to upholding our world-leading animal welfare standards as an independent trading nation. The UK will not compromise its high standards of animal welfare in any trade partnerships or agreements. In accordance with existing World Trade Organisation rules, we retain the ability to regulate for the protection and improvement of animal welfare.

Livestock: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a progress report on the roll-out of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

Mark Spencer: We are making good progress with the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. This year we have launched the Annual Health and Welfare Review for all eligible keepers, and uptake is growing steadily. We have also run a successful first round of the Animal Health and Welfare equipment and technology grant and will be launching our first large infrastructure grant for calf housing later this summer. Through continued and close working with our industry co-design partners we look forward to expanding the Pathway offer further to promote the production of healthier, higher welfare animals at a level beyond compliance with regulations.

Animal Products: Labelling

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the NFU on animal welfare labelling for food.

Mark Spencer: Defra Ministers meet regularly with a range of stakeholders including the NFU on a wide range of issues including animal welfare and food information to consumers.

Pets: Smuggling

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department will consult with the animal welfare sector on pet smuggling measures; and whether he will include cats and kittens in pet smuggling proposals.

Trudy Harrison: In Autumn 2021 we consulted on further proposed changes to the rules governing the commercial and non-commercial movement of cats, dogs and ferrets into Great Britain.We are carefully reviewing the feedback from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders in the animal welfare sector and a summary will be published in due course.

Animal Products: Labelling

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of using a traffic light system for animal welfare labelling on food.

Mark Spencer: Defra ran a call for evidence in 2021 to gather data on the impacts of different types of labelling reforms for animal welfare. The evidence provided suggested that there is public appetite for improved welfare information to consumers. Based on this, Defra has been working with a wide range of stakeholders to explore how we can harness the market to improve food information to consumers and raise animal welfare standards.

Poultry

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support the broiler poultry industry.

Mark Spencer: The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to the unprecedented challenges the industry, including the poultry sector, has faced in the past few years. Defra continues to work closely with the poultry sector and has acted where appropriate. On 28 October 2022 we announced changes to both the AI compensation scheme allowing compensation to be paid to farmers from the outset of planned AI culling rather than at the end and a relaxation to the enforcement of marketing rules allowing the sale of defrosted turkeys, geese and ducks between 28 November and 31 December 2022. In 2023 and 2024 the poultry sector will continue to be able to access 2,000 seasonal worker visas to meet the pre-Christmas surge in demand for poultry workers. More widely, the Government has put in place a number of measures which the poultry industry has been able to access, including cuts to VAT and fuel duty and support through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. We continue to keep the poultry sector under constant review including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group and our on-going regular engagement with key sector stakeholders.

Poultry: Imports

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that imported poultry that has not been produced to UK legal standards is not used in the catering sector.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle imports of poultry not reared in accordance with UK legal standards.

Mark Spencer: The Government is proud of the high food safety and animal welfare standards that underpin our high-quality Great British produce. We have no intention of undercutting our own reputation for quality by lowering our food and animal welfare standards. All food and drink products imported into the UK irrespective of the purpose for which they will be used has to comply with our import requirements and regulatory standards for food safety. Agri-food products produced to different environmental and animal welfare standards can be placed on the UK market as long as they comply with our requirements. This includes products from the EU and other longstanding trading partners alongside products traded under new agreements. A range of Government departments, agencies and bodies continue to ensure that standards are met including the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Health and Safety Executive and Local Authorities Trading Standards. They will continue to do so to ensure that all food imports comply with the relevant UK product rules and regulations.

Fish Farming: Animal Welfare

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects her Department to publish the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the Welfare of Farmed Fish at the Time of Killing 2023.

Mark Spencer: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston on 10 March 2023, PQ 158986.

Poultry

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the UK's withdrawal from the EU on the broiler poultry industry.

Mark Spencer: The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to the various challenges the industry, including the broiler poultry sector, has faced in the past few years. The UK poultry sector operate in an open market with the value of poultry products established by those in the supply chain. Defra continues to keep the poultry market situation under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. Defra ministers and officials also meet regularly with poultry industry stakeholders to discuss the challenges the poultry sector is facing.

Animal Welfare: Crime

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department’s planned timetable is for concluding its consultation on introducing penalty notices for animal health and welfare offences in England.

Trudy Harrison: The consultation for introducing penalty notices for animal health and welfare offences in England will conclude on 20th July 2023. This will be followed by Government’s response to the consultation.

Reptiles: Import Controls

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason live reptiles imports from the EU have been moved from Low to High Risk under the Target Operating Model method.

Mark Spencer: Under the new model SPS commodities are categorised based on the inherent risk (high, medium or low) that the commodity poses to biosecurity, combined with any specific risk from the country of origin. Live animals are inherently high risk; they cannot be kept in sealed consignments and some of them pose not only a potential animal health risk but also a risk to the environment in the case of non-native species or invasive pests, and a risk to the trade on endangered species. Under the Target Operating Model we will apply the same rules to the EU that currently apply to Rest of World imports of live animals including reptiles and amphibians.

Airports: Noise

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of airport noise action plans in reducing noise pollution for overflown communities.

Trudy Harrison: The Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively to promote good health and minimise disruption to people’s quality of life. Defra is required to produce, consult on and publish Noise Action Plans for transport noise, under the terms of the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006, every five years to help manage noise. Under the Regulations airport operators are the competent authority for preparing airport Noise Action Plans. The latest round of airport Noise Action Plans is currently underway and due to be published in 2024. It is up to individual airports to determine, including through public consultation, the most effective measures to implement within an action plan. Defra is working with the Department for Transport which has commissioned the Civil Aviation Authority to conduct a critical review of the efficiency and effectiveness of Noise Action Plans in managing aviation noise around airports.

Cetaceans: Animal Welfare

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing licences for (a) capturing and (b) keeping in captivity (i) whales and (ii) dolphins.

Trudy Harrison: The UK Government considers cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) to be highly intelligent, social animals, with complex needs that are unlikely to be met when removed from their natural marine habitat and kept in captivity. The Government does not see merit in licensing either the capture or the private keepership of whales and dolphins. In addition, under the EU Habitats Directive and the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to deliberately disturb, harm, capture, or kill wild cetaceans. This provides strong legal protection preventing the taking of cetaceans for captivity from EU and UK waters.

Pets: Veterinary Services

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to pet owners for the cost of (a) spaying and (b) neutering their pets.

Trudy Harrison: Defra has no plans to provide financial support to pet owners for spaying or neutering their pets. We are aware that some animal charities have been offering support for this.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 28 May 2021 to Question 4718 on Dogs: Animal Welfare, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit the (a) importation and (b) non-commercial movement of dogs into the UK that have been subject to (i) ear cropping and (ii) other low welfare practices; and if she do so before the end of this parliamentary session.

Trudy Harrison: As outlined in our 2021 Action Plan for Animal Welfare, the Government has an ambitious agenda for animal welfare and conservation reforms, which we plan to take forward during the current Parliamentary session and beyond. We will continue to introduce and support legislative and non-legislative reforms where possible. A single-issue Bill which takes forward this manifesto commitment would enable us to bring forward bans on the import of young puppies, heavily pregnant dogs and those with mutilations such as cropped ears and docked tails which we have previously consulted on.

Pet Travel Scheme: Dogs

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs have been imported under the Pet Travel Scheme in each month in 2023.

Trudy Harrison: MonthTotal number of dogsJanuary18840February14838March15790April24722May20738  Data is still being collated from pet carriers for June 2023 therefore this data is not currently available. This is a summary of animal entering Great Britain under the Pet Travel scheme via an approved route. It does not include pet animals that enter other parts of the UK (such as Northern Ireland or the Channel Islands) or pet animals that enter Great Britain from other parts of the UK. It does not include any animals that enter Great Britain under the Pet Travel Scheme from the Republic of Ireland (as these movements do not need to follow an approved route). The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals. This data can be subject to change as often data from carriers can be received late.

Dogs: Smuggling

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions officials in her Department has had with (a) other Government Departments and (b) third-party stakeholders on policy formation on tackling puppy smuggling.

Trudy Harrison: Defra officials have regular discussions with other Government Departments, including Border Force, and third-party stakeholders such as the RSPCA, Dogs Trust, Cats Protection and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, on policy formation on tackling puppy smuggling.

Gardens: Soil

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department are taking steps to regulate toxins in garden soils which are potentially dangerous for household pets.

Trudy Harrison: The Government recognises that use of pesticides is one source of toxins in garden soils. Our first priority with regard to pesticides is to ensure that they will not harm people or pose unacceptable risks to the environment. A pesticide may only be placed on the market in GB if the product has been authorised by our expert regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), following a thorough scientific risk assessment, that concludes all safety standards are met. Pesticides that pose unacceptable risks are not authorised. All authorised plant protection products have statutory conditions of use that must be followed, and our strict, science-based regulation is supplemented with policies to encourage safe and minimal use.

Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain Independent Review

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) current and (b) former workers on the horticultural seasonal worker visa were given the opportunity to inform the independent review into labour shortages in the food supply chain, published on 30 June 2023.

Mark Spencer: The Independent Review of Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain was published on June 30th, 2023. Since it was an independent review Defra is not responsible for commenting on the specific evidence used to shape the final report, but notes that the Review does contain a Methodology section with more information that may be of interest. However, Defra does undertake an annual survey of workers involved in the Seasonal Worker visa route and this information was made available to the review team. The Government will consider the Review’s recommendations and publish a Government response in the autumn.

Treasury

Inheritance Tax

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications were made for inheritance tax in the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: The personal representatives of a deceased’s estate must submit an IHT400 account to HMRC, unless the estate qualifies as ‘excepted’. In that case, they used to have to submit the shorter IHT205 form (C1 and C5 forms in Scotland). Following reporting requirement changes, these shorter forms are no longer required for deaths occurring after 1 January 2022. HMRC publishes data on the number of such forms submitted for deaths occurring in a particular tax year. The most recent tax year for which complete data is held is 2019-2020, and is available in Table 12.3 of the Inheritance tax statistics here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/inheritance-tax-statistics-table-123-estates-notified-to-hmrc-numbers-and-tax-due. Data for 2020-2021 will be published on 26th July.